What Happens Next
by ChaseChick
Summary: Continued from Season 3... focusing on Stiles as he battles his inner demons and anxiety as he braces for the supernatural to descend upon Beacon Hills. Ties to a certain red head keep him grounded as they figure out what is going and what will happen next. Stydia!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this is my first foray into Teen Wolf… a bit nervous as I've never written for a TV fandom before. I simply love the direction the show has headed and wanted to explore more of Stiles's character which they have built up amazingly. Plus… who wants to wait until January to see where they head with this… if the response is good I shall continue this… if not… eh might just finish it up in my head =)_

What Happens Next

Chapter 1

The Calm Before the Storm

It's amazing how lonely you can feel, how desolate and empty on the inside even when you are surrounded by friends and family. How terrified you can feel even when nothing inexplicably strange or supernatural has even occurred recently. But Stiles knew better. He was simply holding his breath, waiting. It felt like the eerie unnatural calm before a storm. Before all the hell and fury was bottled up and released on the world.

After they had taken down the Darach (also known as Jennifer and one of their teachers) things had gone quite in the little town of Beacon Hills. Some things had changed, but some things had gone back to the way they had been before. With no lacrosse to occupy their time and both Scott and Stiles swooning after women who had moved onto someone else they resumed their pathetic pre-wolf bite life.

"Stiles I don't want to do this anymore. Let's go drive around and do something." Scott whined as they worked on a term paper.

"You just want to go out and look for trouble. No. You are actually passing now; your mom is off your back… this is good." Stiles answered without bringing his eyes off his text book.

"Ugh what good does it do to have my mom off my back when my stupid father's on my ass now?"

"Well at least you still have both of them." Stiles mumbled as he slammed his book shut and angrily stuffed it in his bag.

"Stiles… I'm sorry I didn't mean…" Scott stuttered standing to follow Styles down the stairs into his living room. "Where are you going?"

"What? You said you wanted to go drive around. So let's go." Styles said grabbing his jacket and his set of Jeep keys off the counter and heading to the door.

"Oh… okay." Scott answered a bit unsurely.

The duo headed to Stiles' slightly worse for the wear Jeep. They clamored in and it sputtered to life with the turn of a key. Stiles smiled a small smile down at his Jeep. "At least some things in my life are dependable."

Scott was unsure of how to respond to Stiles' statement so he kept silent and instead took to casting sideways glances at Stiles when he wasn't looking. The boy looked weary, dark smudges under his eyes, skin pale and without his usual laid back demeanor and easy smile he looked down right… depressed. Like he was lacking the vibrant energy that made Stiles…well Stiles.

Their self-sacrificing ritual had been hard on them all. Allison seemed to spring back the quickest, or maybe it was her new found feelings for Isaac. Scott seemed to struggle a bit but with both his parents hovering he didn't have a lot of time for his depression to sink in. Stiles on the other hand had been worn thin long before he climbed into the tub of ice water to die. He worried about everyone and took everything upon himself, guilt included. His father being taken right along with Scott's mom had nearly incapacitated Stiles with the fear that he would be orphaned and that it was be his own fault. Though Stiles had helped rescue his father the guilt hadn't seemed to lift from his shoulders as he thought it would.

Stiles had been spending most of his time alone while the Sheriff continued to mop up the mess that came with all the dead bodies and destruction. He came home late and often left before Stiles crawled from his bed in the mornings. So Stiles occupied his time by going to school and doing his homework. He barely spoke to anyone besides Scott and seemed withdrawn and sullen.

Scott kept glancing at Stiles as they drove through the shadowy streets as night fell upon them. "Can you stop looking at me like you think I'm a bomb that's going to explode already?" Stiles suddenly said as he pulled to a stop at the only light in town.

"What? I-I'm not doing that." Scott answered nervously as he began to fidget with the sleeves of his long sweatshirt.

"You're fidgeting and jumpy so you're lying… and yes you were." Stiles answered with no hint of his usual humor in his voice. When the light changed he stepped on the gas and pulled into the gas station to fill his Jeep with gas.

While Stiles filled his Jeep Scott sat and thought of a way to make the whole situation a joke so they could laugh the whole thing off when Stiles climbed back in. He was pulled from his inner musings when a dark car pulled up to the curb. Out climbed Lydia and her boy toy turned boyfriend Ayden. He threw his arm around her and whispered something in her ear causing her to shove him and giggle loudly. Her laughter caught in her throat as her eyes fell on Stiles who quickly dropped his eyes and turned the pump off and climbed back into the Jeep.

He quickly started the Jeep as she took a step off the curb towards them and pulled away from the pump. "Stiles…"

"Just shut it Scott. I don't want to hear it alright." His voice gave no room for argument and not for the first time Scott was glad that Stiles had not been turned into a wolf. He'd hate to see what the boy could do given that amount of power. Scott recognized the street they were heading down just before the Jeep came to a screeching halt.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked confused.

"Taking you home," Stiles answered as he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "I just need to be alone for a while." He never brought his eyes to Scott and he didn't say another word. Without knowing what to say or what to do Scott hastily unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the vehicle. Stiles slowly drove away leaving Scott behind.

He could still see Scott in the rear view mirror, his posture slumped and defeated. And again a new wave of guilt came upon Stiles. It seemed that no matter what he did someone got hurt. He couldn't seem to think of anything else other than the ways he had screwed up; he couldn't help it if he felt responsible for everything that had occurred with the Darach. Had he only read into the clues sooner, put things together, enlisted his father's help instead of keeping him in the dark. But he hadn't and several innocent people had been killed.

Along with his constant companion of guilt was the gnawing ache of missing Lydia. He had thought he might have had a shot with her. They'd been friends, worked together closely. Hell he'd let her drown him because he trusted her. She'd even kissed him, granted it was a kiss out of desperation, but it had been a kiss. It seemed she preferred her men cut and modelesque, first Jackson now Ayden. He couldn't come close to their level… so why bother trying.

He had trouble sleeping, more so than usual. Normally he was plagued by dreams about his mother, or losing his father in a shootout and being left to his own devices. Now it was all about death, and torture and the unknowing, like something was lurking in the shadows ready to snatch him at a moment's notice. The feeling had even begun following him throughout the day, the overwhelming urge to constantly look over his shoulder was starting to make him paranoid. He couldn't help but feel like something bad was coming just over the horizon and he didn't know if he could handle it.

The constant barrage of his emotions and paranoia were nearly crushing him. He was constantly balancing on the edge of a full-fledged panic attack. The only way he seemed to deal was to double on his medication and to try to disconnect altogether. If that was the only thing he could do to function and keep going then that was what was what he was going to do.

Stiles pulled back into his drive and slowly trudged back up the walk to the side door and let himself in. The house was dark and quiet as it always was. His phone beeped and a quick glance told him he was on his own for dinner, his dad was working late _again_. What else was new? His homework was all caught up, he was even ahead. With the distraction of Scott gone Stiles looked around the house desperately looking for some sort of work to do to take his mind off of things.

He washed the dishes in the sink and dried them putting them each back meticulously in its place. He swept and vacuumed cleaned the clutter in the kitchen. He dusted and polished the wood work. By the time he was done it resembled the house Stiles had known when his mother was still around, everything was neat and orderly and where it belonged. The glowing clock on the oven told him it was half past eleven. He decided he'd shower and attempt a few short hours of nightmare riddled sleep before attempting his Friday classes.

The moment he sagged down onto his bed he began dreading the moment when he would lose the fight to keep his eyes from closing. His bed was comfortable and he was warm and so very tired. But the moment sleep claimed him he was assaulted with a myriad of different horrid scenarios. The Darach, Lydia, Scott, Scott's mom, his dad… By the time the alarm sounded in his ear Stiles had felt more tired than when he had first laid down. Still he readied for the day and headed down to the kitchen hoping to join his father for coffee. Surprisingly enough his father sat reading the morning paper at the table a cup of coffee in hand.

"Morning Dad." Stiles yawned as he poured himself a cup of coffee and took the seat opposite his father.

"Morning." His father looked over the edge of the paper with his reading glasses examining him. "How you been?"

Stiles simply shrugged as he forced down a scalding hot sip of the thick coffee. "You?"

"Dog tired. I'm hoping to get things caught up and then maybe you and I could spend some time together." His father did look tired, bags under his eyes, more wrinkles lining his face than he remembered.

Stiles simply nodded as he finished his coffee. He wanted to tell his father everything that had been weighing him down but he didn't. His dad had enough to worry about without worrying about him too. He'd deal with it on his own, just like he had been since he was eleven and had found out his mom was terminal. He had no choice.

"Well I'd better get going. Gotta pick up Scott and get to class." He picked up his bag and gave his father a one armed hug before making his way to the door.

"Stiles… you'd tell me if everything… wasn't okay?" He asked slowly, "right?"

"Yea Dad, sure." He gave him the usual Stiles smile hoping to ward him off from pressing any further. He wasn't sure he could continue to hold up under his father's line of questioning. His father gave him a small wave as he shut the door.

Stiles let out a breath and headed to his Jeep.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Chapter 2 of the Stiles Story as I've labeled it in my head. Hope you enjoy. Check me out on Tumblr if you like.. Chasechick… hope to see you there. Oh… and let me know what you think =)_

Chapter 2

Distraction

Stiles battled his growing fatigue with coffee and energy drinks. He pushed himself as hard as he could in class, even in gym class. His teachers often remarked on his new work ethic and commended him for maturing. But Stiles knew that wasn't what it was at all. He needed to keep his mind busy, a distraction from all the heavy things pressing in on him. School was the only thing he had.

He had mused over getting a job to help put away for college but the only job he could find was pumping gas and he couldn't bring himself to do it, too much waiting around and time for his mind to wander. He was waiting for the homeroom bell to ring and listening to Scott drone on about something or other, he wasn't really paying attention.

"Stiles are you even listening to me?" Scott asked in an exasperated tone.

Stiles jumped as if he had been burned. "Sorry man. What?"

Scott rolled his eyes at him and slumped back into his chair. "Seriously man what is with you?"

"Nothing is with me I'm just fine thank you!" Stiles snapped back. Scott looked perplexed at his reaction clearly not expecting the bite in his words. Stiles immediately felt bad for snapping at Scott, he was the only one he really had, if he kept taking digs at him, maybe he'd lose him too. He was just about to utter an apology when the announcements began over the loudspeaker effectively cutting him off. He promised himself he'd make amends to Scott the first chance he got.

Gym class, the last period of the day was the first chance Stiles had to speak with Scott. They'd been busy in their shared classes and both Aiden and Isaac had bugged Scott about something lycanthropic in nature during lunch and Stiles had zoned out. They were split up into two teams to have a friendly little soccer match. It was supposed to be friendly but when you get four werewolves on opposing teams you tend to up the competiveness a peg or two.

Stile took goal and hung back watching Scott battle Isaac for possession of the ball near half field, waiting for a lull in the game to talk to him. He tried to keep his head in the game but he became entranced with a scraggly clump of grass and was scuffing it loose with the bottom of his shoe when Aiden came barreling towards him to take a shot. Stiles, without thinking who he was rushing, ran full force to attempt to slide tackle the ball from Aiden just as he brought his leg back to loft the ball over Stiles's head into the goal.

It was like time slowed down as the collision happened. Stiles realized it was about to happen just before it did and his entire body tensed bracing him for the impact. It felt like a freight train, though he'd never been hit by one. His breath was knocked from his lungs and he lost track of which way was up or down. He found out all too soon as he came crashing back to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

He could immediately taste of copper in his mouth, a taste he'd become all too familiar with in recent months, blood. Other than that and a slight ringing in his ears he really didn't feel any pain, in fact he felt rather numb as his heart pounded in his chest. His mind was foggy as he righted himself and found himself surrounded by what appeared to be the entire gym class.

"Are you alright?" Everyone seemed to ask at once. Stiles brought his eyes up and though Scott looked a little blurry he smiled.

"I'm fine. In fact I feel great!" Stiles answered and then fell back onto the ground and started laughing manically.

"Stiles, are you laughing?" Scott asked as he kneeled over top of him his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Yes, I miss laughing." Stiles answered as he continued. He honestly almost felt drunk. God, he was delirious.

The gym teacher had him walk to the bench to sit out the remainder of the class and kept side eyeing him like he thought he'd fall over and drop dead at any given moment. Stiles kept insisting he was fine. Sure a few parts of him were beginning to ache dully but other than that he was fine. Apparently his body had reacted to the adrenaline from the collision and it was something he seemed to be missing. Stiles was used to taking hits and being banged up and bruised, it had become a way of life for him ever since Scott had been bitten. This hit had been like the others and he was surprised how much it didn't seem to faze him.

As the game ended and the group made their way back to the locker rooms to shower Scott accosted Stiles again. "Are you sure you're okay Stiles? That was one hell of a hit!" Scott kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

"I've taken worse Scott. I'm fine." Stiles said tiredly. He was tired of reassuring everyone he was fine. He was tough, he wasn't fragile, he wasn't about to break. He thought he'd been doing a pretty stellar performance of acting nonchalant but apparently it wasn't enough. His father was worried, Scott was worried and he couldn't help but notice glances that everyone seemed to be giving him. He didn't need their pity, he was just fine.

With the excitement of nearly being crushed in gym he hadn't gotten a chance to apologize to Scott for his earlier shortness. But he finally got an opportunity as they approached his Jeep a short while later. "Hey listen, Scott…" Scott stopped walking and sensing the serious nature of Stiles' voice, turned to face him. "Listen, I'm sorry I was short with you earlier today and I've been a little bit of a…"

"Asshole?" Scott finished for him. A smile broke across his lips to show Stiles that he was kidding.

"Well, yea. Pretty much." Stiles answered. "It's just I've been having a hard time focusing on anything. I just keep feeling like something is going to happen and something is following me around, I'm getting paranoid." Stiles said as he opened up the door to his Jeep and climbed in.

Scott climbed in and was quite for a moment before he spoke, "Are you sleeping at all Stiles?"

Stiles was about to give him the same answer he told everyone but he could see the look in Scott's eyes and he knew he wasn't going to be able to get by with the bullshit. "Not really. I sleep a few hours a night if I'm lucky but the nightmares are so bad that I wake up more tired than if I had just stayed awake. Sometimes I do just stay awake. It's easier. You know." Stiles put the key in the ignition and his trusty Jeep sprung to life.

"Stiles that is not okay. Maybe you should talk to someone about it. Maybe Deacon could help or…"

"I am not going to a vet about my human problems. It isn't the first time I haven't been able to sleep. It will go away on its own." He said as he navigated out of the busy parking lot.

He hung with Scott for a while after school finished his homework and they played a few hours of Halo. He'd asked Scott if he wanted to grab a pizza for dinner but Scott's mother had called and asked him to come home for dinner so that his father could talk with him.

"Great." Scott swore as he tossed his phone back down. "I'd rather stay here with you but my father is suddenly trying to parent me again and my mom thinks I need him in my life." He rubbed his face roughly and stood.

"Well good luck with that. Your dad absolutely hates me and I am so loveable… you are so screwed." Stiles joked as he walked Scott to the door.

Scott smiled at him happy to see a little bit of the Stiles returning. "I've missed your insightful humor." He told him as he left the front door to jog the few blocks home.

Stiles shut the door and was again alone in the Stilinski household. He rummaged through the cupboards and found nothing worthy of cooking. He debated just skipping dinner altogether but thinking his father may come home he figured he should just go pick up some groceries.

He readjusted himself in the Jeep for the third time on the way to the store. His body was really beginning to throb from his impact with Aiden earlier in the day. He eased the Jeep into a parking spot and then headed off into the market. He was leaning heavily on the cart by the time he got to the last aisle to toss in a few loaves of bread. He hadn't been paying any attention to where he was going; only thinking about getting home and swallowing some aspirin to ease the ache in his lower back. His cart slammed into the side of another car.

"I'm sorry." He uttered before he even looked up.

There she was Lydia and her mother, with a cart full of groceries looking at him oddly.

"Stiles." Lydia said as she moved forward to put a hand on his arm. "How are you?" She asked. Her mother just smiled at him and pushed her cart forward to the checkout line.

"Lydia." Stiles answered and followed to the checkout line. As usual there were a line four carts deep and only one aisle open so he leaned heavily on the cart and waited. Lydia was never one to wait quietly so she began peppering him with conversation.

"So what have you been up to?" She asked him. "I don't see you anymore."

"Well that's probably because you've been so busy with Aiden, " Stiles answered and attempted to stand straight but the twinge in his back caused him to grimace and remained slouched over the handle of the cart.

"Well you could still say hi to me in the halls, I think you've been avoiding me." She answered as her mother moved forward to checkout and Stiles inched forward, sucking in a breath as another shooting pain shot down his back all the way down his leg.

Lydia noticed his expression and put her hand on his lower back. "Are you sure you're okay Stiles? You look like you're in pain."

"I'm always in pain." He answered as they inched forward again.

"Aiden said he ran into you in gym today, he felt horrible." She answered.

"I bet he was heartbroken." Stiles answered as Lydia's mother paid the cashier and motioned for her to follow.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She asked as she moved to follow her mother.

"Yea." He sighed softly as he clumsily piled his purchases on the belt. "I'm always okay."

She gave him a sad smile and a small wave as she exited the store leaving Stiles to his errand. He paid with a quick swipe of his debit card and limped to his Jeep.

By the time he plopped the last of the groceries down in the kitchen he was sure the eggs were broke and the bread smashed but all he could think of was the amount of pain he was beginning to feel. Not only was his back stabbing him in agony but his hip and shoulder where he had fallen throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

He managed to get to the bathroom and swallow a handful of ibuprofen and keep from throwing up but he was still sweaty and clammy and still attempting to put the groceries away before they spoiled when his father arrived home from his shift.

He glanced at Stiles then at the groceries and walked toward the hall closet to unhook his belt and uniform jacket. "Thanks for getting those for me. I've been meaning to pick up something for days now but haven't had the time. How was school?" He asked as he made his way to the last of the bags and eyed the smashed bread. When Stiles's eyes met his father he knew that his father could see right through his act. He was about to admit defeat and tell his dad about what had happened when his dad's phone rang.

"We are going to talk about this as soon as I'm through with this. You go up to your room and lay down." His father told him as he accepted the call.

Stiles heard a few snippets of the conversation as he slowly trekked his way to his room. He gingerly sat down and removed his shoes and pants. He was going to put on some sleep pants but when he tried to stand it hurt too damn much. Instead he lay back onto his pillows and shifted to try and find a comfortable position while he waited for his father to get off the phone. His eyes grew heavy and he drifted off before he could fight the pull of sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N:_ _Today has been nothing short of frightful and I'm not even half way through my 18 hour plus day. Hopefully this craziness that is my professional job will be over by the end of the week. The only form of escape I had (the legal sort of course), was to write this story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as we get inside Stile's head. _

Chapter 3

Emotional Time-Bomb

His dreams were disturbed as usual. Full of blood and the foul breath of a creature that seemed to be breathing down his neck but he still couldn't see. He tossed and turned and finally yelled out as he was slammed into by the creature effectively breaking his body rendering him useless. Lydia was yelling his name. Only it wasn't Lydia.

As he finally awoke he could see the grim face of his father standing over him, a worried and pinched expression on his face. Stiles blinked repeatedly and glanced at the clock to see that it was well after midnight. He attempted to shift himself into a sitting position but nearly cried out from the pain wracking his body.

"Stiles..." his father started but Stiles shook his head not wanting to hear it.

"Sorry I fell asleep."

"How long have you not been sleeping?" Stiles brought his eyes quickly to his father.

"How d-did you know?" He asked nervously picking at the blanket as he regained control of his breathing and willed his heart rate to slow down to a more natural pace.

"I've started catching on… I'm a bit slow and I know your mother would have noticed long ago."

"Dad," Stiles started but his father but he put his hand up to tell him he wasn't finished.

"How much of the Adderall have you been taking?"

"What…what are you talking about?"

"Stiles the pharmacy called and said that you had filled the maximum number of bottles in just a month. That should have lasted three times that… tell me you aren't taking that many." His father looked exhausted, like the last year had aged him twenty years. Stiles felt horrible for adding to any load his father was already carrying. He was afraid he'd be the straw that broke the camel's back and his father would drop dead of a heart attack or start drinking heavily again like when his mother had died.

"I just have been having trouble focusing… I haven't been sleeping well and it started getting to me more and more. I'm just trying to keep busy and keep my mind off of things." Stiles said softly as he attempted to shift into a more comfortable position.

"You want to tell me why you look like you got run over?" His father asked as he moved on to a different topic.

"Because I did." Stiles began and rushed on as his father rose in eyebrow and was about to demand information, "It was just gym class and I charged Isaac and kinda got my ass handed to me."

"Stiles… those boys need to be more careful. Are you okay? Did you get checked out?" His father asked. Stiles quickly ducked his head hoping to avoid the tirade his father was about to unleash.

"No I didn't get checked out because it didn't hurt at the time…"

"At the time huh? Are you telling me you're hurting now?" His father asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Maybe a little." Stiles admitted as he felt his face burn in shame.

"You want to show me or should we call Melissa? Or is it so bad that I'm putting you in the cruiser and taking you to the ER?" His father asked as he ran a hand over his stubble in exhaustion.

"Dad... I'm not going to the doctor, it's not that bad."

"Not that bad then… let me see." His father stood off the bed and Stiles rolled his eyes. He attempted to lift his shirt over his head but his shoulder wouldn't allow it and he nearly called out in agony but instead chose to bite down on his lip. His father didn't miss it and took a quick step to still him, he clicked on the lamp on the bedside table and glanced at the bruising along his side, he tried to pull the shirt off to look at his shoulder but Stiles couldn't help but whimper and his father stopped at once. "Anywhere else?" He asked so softly Stiles could hardly hear him.

"Um… my back… and my hip down my leg." He said as he swallowed past a golf ball sized lump forming in his throat. He couldn't help but feel like he had let down his father. He should have hid the pain better… or better yet he shouldn't have charged Isaac like a moron, or he should have been stronger. His father interrupted his internal lashing as he eased Stiles out of his jeans he had fallen asleep in. A quick glance underneath the band of his shorts revealed a horrible purple bruise nearly black in color.

"Jesus Stiles… if this isn't _that bad. _ What the hell am I going to do with you? I think I just need to take you to the hospital". He looked resigned and defeated.

"No Dad c'mon. Can't we just call Scott's mom and if it's not that bad I can just take a day or two off of school okay?"

His pulse began to pound at the thought of going into that hospital. He'd braved it a few times on the account of his friends but he never wanted to be a patient. He had a huge fear of needles after watching his mother become a human pin cushion for years. He could feel the cold sweat start at the back of his neck at the mere mention of it.

"What about the other stuff Stiles? You can't keep self-medicating. After we get this straightened out I'm going to take you to see Doctor Allen. And that is final. I'll call Melissa and hope she can come take a look at you. If she says you go to the hospital we are going, no arguments understood?"

His tone had taken on that of the commanding officer and Stiles knew enough not talk back. Instead he uttered a soft "yes sir." He struggled to ease the constant ache while he heard his father make a phone call. How humiliating, he was weak and he hated to show it.

His thoughts were traveling down another dark path when his father returned still clutching his phone. "She just got out of work and is stopping here in just a minute." He looked like he wanted to say more but couldn't think how to word it. Stiles just sat in silence as the shame seemed to burn within him making him grow uncomfortably hot and chilled at the same time.

Both men whipped their heads to the door as Melissa strode through the door still clad in her bright scrubs from a long shift. She smiled at each of them in turn before making her way over to the side of the bed. "Alright, who's going to fill me in?" She asked. Stiles couldn't bring his eyes to her at all; he kept them trained on the floor. He couldn't help this overwhelming fear that he'd burst in to tears if he looked at anyone. That would just make it even more humiliating than it already was.

He could hear the soft murmur of this father's voice as he softly explained the situation to her. He hadn't even realized when his father left the room to take another call. It wasn't until Melissa laid her warm hand on his cheek that he jumped and brought his eyes up to hers. Her expression was more lined than he remembered but her brown eyes were warm and kind and there showed no hint of judgment in them.

"You okay?" She asked him. And for the first time the question didn't grate on his nerves. He could tell that she wasn't just asking about his physical injuries.

"I think I'll live." Stiles answered as his breath hitched a little. He took a deep breath to push the burning sensation of tears back. She gave him a warm smile and proceeded to lift his shirt to peak at his side.

"Can you move your shoulder at all?" She asked. Stiles tried to but it hurt too much so he stopped trying and just shook his head. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she felt around it through his shirt. She didn't say anything as she felt his rib cage and then shifted his shorts down to look at his hip. She brought her hand to her mouth to hide her reaction and Stiles shut his eyes not wanting to deal with it anymore. "You can feel your leg, no numbness or tingling right?" She asked with a small waiver in her voice.

"No, it's fine." He answered barely above a whisper. He was desperately fighting himself to keep from breaking down entirely but he was just so tired. It took a lot of effort to keep up the façade, to keep the wall up to keep everyone at arms-length. Sometimes he was just tired and lonely and wanted someone to take care of him.

"Stiles it is most certainly not fine. I don't even know how you walked away from it to begin with." She paused for a moment before continuing in her soft tone again. "Can you roll onto your side so I can feel your back?"

He complied and though it took him a few tries he was able to lie on his uninjured side. He took several steadying breaths to handle it but he still hadn't cried out or broke down. She lifted his shirt again and ran her fingers down his back. She stopped at the tender spot and softly touched it feeling around it with feather soft touches. "Have you had spasms, shooting pains down your back or leg, pins or needles?" She asked him as she pulled his shirt back down.

"Yeah but not until later today." He said as he slowly eased himself back onto his back.

"Probably because the swelling worsened as the day went on and it caused pinching in your nerves. Did you hit your head or neck? What about nausea or dizzy spells? Did you lose consciousness?"

"Ugh…" Stiles began but lost focus easily, "a little sick to my stomach maybe a little dizzy, and I'm not sure if I blacked out or not."

She pulled her pen light out and nearly blinded him with it as she looked at his eyes and felt around his head for any lumps and down his neck asking for any tender spots. When she was done she leaned back and thought for a moment. Stiles was fighting sleep again, though he was in tremendous pain and an emotional time bomb his body was overcoming with survival instinct and the need to rest.

"It's okay Stiles, you can rest. I'm going to go talk to your dad. I'll be right back." She said as she patted him softly on his leg.

When he opened his eyes again the room was dim with the early morning light. His eyes fell upon Melissa in the chair slumped over and asleep in the corner. His bladder was pressing in on him uncomfortably but he didn't even know if he could stand and shuffle down the hall to the bathroom. He was a bit confused as to why Melissa was asleep in the chair in the first place and wondered where his father had wandered off to.

He shoved the blankets off and pulled himself into a sitting position. Already the beads of sweat began to form as he battled through the stiffness and pain but he was determined to keep his last shred of dignity. He stood shakily on his feet and took an off balance step and then another. The pain in his leg worsened with every step but he managed to make it to the bathroom. He had nearly made it to his room when the back spasms started and he leaned heavily on the wall. He stopped for a minute in the door frame to gather the strength to make it the last half a dozen steps.

By now he was covered in a layer of sweat but he didn't care. Three steps away from the bed his leg started to shake and give out at the same time his back started to spasm. He called out as he started to pitch forward towards his injured side again and couldn't even throw his useless arm out to brace him. He closed his eyes and embraced for the inevitable impact, only it never came. Melissa had grabbed him as best as she could and guided him to the bed making Stiles immediately grateful for her presence.

"Easy there. I must have been out of it; I didn't even hear you get up. You okay?" She asked a she gave a nervous chuckle.

Stiles sucked in air like he'd run a lacrosse game and nodded. When he finally had managed to catch his breath he spoke. "Where's my dad?"

Melissa looked nervous at the question but quickly put her smile back on. "He had to go out on an emergency call. He said he'd meet up with us at the hospital."

"The ho-hospital?" Stiles asked his voice breathy and weak.

Melissa knitted her eyebrows in worry. "Stiles you are hurt far more than you realize. I can't be sure but I suspect that your shoulder is at least dislocated, you may have a herniated disc in your back, and you may have even fractured a rib or your hip!" Her voice had gotten louder as she went and she stopped to regain her composure as she sat down next to him on the bed and cupped his face in her hand. The gesture brought back memories of his mother doing that when he was young and he had to blink back the tears that immediately sprang forth. "Listen to me Stiles, I know why you don't like to go there, and I don't blame you. But you need help. I will stay with you the whole time and if there is something that makes you uncomfortable or scared or anything we can work around it okay?"

He nodded and broke her contact with his face and hastily swiped at a tear that had escaped.

"Okay." He said. He sat up and Melissa assisted him in a painfully slow trek to her car in the drive.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to the reactions I've been getting on this little ditty. Seriously has made the past few days a lot more pleasant. I made a cover for the story today and managed to write this out while my life was chaos as well (nice parallel title). This story has become my refuge to help keep me from freaking out or stressing out with all that I have going on. I do have a video I edited of Stiles… just messing around trying to learn my Adobe programs better for the movie I'm working on… I thought about uploading it but it's over a Gig….might compress it more and upload it… goes along good with this story I think. I apologize in advance for any typos or grammatical errors… I did this with a million things and interruptions today at work… I hope you enjoy! Find me on Tumblr… Chasechick!_

Chapter 4

Chaos Descending

Stiles rode silently in the passenger seat as Melissa drove the short distance to Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, a building he was still all too familiar with. She pulled into the drop off bay and exited the car coming back with a wheel chair. She opened the door and Stiles was about to argue but the expression on her face and the ache in his muscles made him bite his retort. She wheeled him quickly into the waiting room and exchanged a few words with the on call at the desk.

After a short conversation that Stiles couldn't hear Melissa strapped his hospital band around his wrist and wheeled him down to a waiting empty room. "I'm getting a room? Don't they usually just do this stuff in the ER?" Stiles asked as Melissa put the brakes on the chair to help him to the bed.

"Well I called in a favor. But I hate to break it to you kiddo but I think you might be in for an overnight or two." Stiles closed his eyes and grimaced in pain as he lay back on the bed, the pain both physical and emotional. "You never know though, you could surprise me and get out of here early, we'll see what we can do okay?" She asked him kindly as she touched his chest. Again he felt emotion swell up in his chest for her kindness. She was going out of her way to take care of him, she should be home resting before her next shift but here she was holding his hand… like a mother. When this was over he vowed to thank her properly and while he was at it he might mention to Scott that he should thank his mother more often for putting up with his shenanigans as well.

Melissa walked over to a closet in the corner and produced the God awful hospital gown and a fresh blanket for him and proceeded to remove his shoes and pants. When she got to his shirt she frowned in thought, "You aren't overly fond of this shirt are you?"

"W-Why?" Stiles asked confused.

"Well if it hurts too much to pull it over your head I'm going to have to cut it off you." She waited for him to answer.

"Okay I guess… It's not a big deal." He answered and she moved to the nurse's station without another word and came back with a pair of scissors and effectively snipped the shirt from him. In the fluorescent light of the hospital room his bruises looked even more ghastly than they had in the dim light of his room. His shoulder was mottled in purple and yellow and it had swollen since he had last looked at it. His ribs too were sporting a nasty purple bruise that went all the way down his hip and disappeared beneath the hem of his boxer shorts. Thankfully he was allowed to keep those on; at least he wouldn't be flashing his butt to the world.

"The doctor will be here in just a minute to check you over but I'm sure he'll order some scans and x-rays before we do anything. If you are okay for a moment I'm just going to call the school and tell them where you are okay?" She asked. He simply nodded in response as his heart began to pound in his chest. When she left he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. It was ridiculous that he could deal with being hunted by werewolves, werewolf hunters, kanimas and psychopaths in general but he couldn't deal with sitting in a hospital room alone for more than ten minutes.

Melissa returned with a doctor before he was able to hyperventilate completely and he tried to act cool and calm as he gave her a smile. He clenched his hand on his uninjured side around the sheets to hide the trembling that had started the moment he came into the room. The doctor was an older man who had crinkles around his eyes as if he had laughed a lot.

"Morning Stiles. I'm Doctor Brighton; Melissa says you had a nasty accident at school yesterday huh?" He flipped open a chart that Melissa must have filled in. At least he didn't have to explain how it happened again. He moved over to the side of Stiles's bed pulling down the top of the gown to take a look at his shoulder. His hands were warm and steady but Stiles still jumped when he made contact. The doctor didn't say anything just shot him a warm smile and looked over the injury. He moved down to his hand and held his hand off the bed by the tips of his fingers. "Can you move your fingers for me?" He asked and Stiles complied though he grimaced with the pull of the muscles. "Okay that's good." He gently returned Stiles's hand to the bed and proceeded to look his rib and side over. He felt his abdomen asking for tender spots. He moved down to Stiles's hip and then slid his shorts down to see how far the bruising had spread. When he passed over the hip bone a whimper escaped him as much as he tried to hold it in but it had felt like someone had stuck a hot poker to his skin.

"Sorry about that, that's obviously very tender." The doctor apologized as he pulled the hem of the shorts back into place. He made some notes on his chart and set it back down. He pulled out a pen light and instructed Stiles to follow his finger. He felt around his head and neck as Melissa had done. "Okay now I'll lower the bed so you can be flat and we'll carefully roll you to your side so I can see your back okay?" He asked as he lowered the bed with the touch of a button. Melissa moved to the other side of the bed and with her gentle pull and the practiced aid of the doctor he was on his uninjured sign without too much discomfort or effort on his part. Again the doctor looked over his injuries with gentle hands before returning Stiles to his back and slowly moving the bed to a semi reclined position.

"Well Melissa looks like you were spot on with your assessments as usual." He smiled kindly at her and she smiled back as she pulled Stiles's hand from the clenched sheet and pried his fingers apart and clasped it in between both of hers. Somehow the action seemed to calm him just a bit as he waited to hear his prognosis. "We can't know for certain until we get some scans and x-rays. With injuries of this magnitude I think we should go with head, neck, shoulder, chest, hip and leg x-rays, get a CT scan of his head and neck and spine and if we need to we can get an MRI of anything we need further depth on. Once we get those out of the way I'll have them bring you back here and get you something for the pain while we get the scans read. I'll see you in a while Mr. Stilinski."

The Doctor smiled and disappeared through the door and was gone. Another nurse came in and spoke with Melissa but Stiles heard her tell the other nurse she'd handle taking him for his scans. He was grateful for her presence and shuddered at the thought of going through this on his own with a bunch of strangers.

She wheeled him to radiology, another wing he associated with doom. It was here his mother had gotten an x-ray that had shown a mass. It was here they found out it had spread and was inoperable. The thought caused a shudder to run through him and Melissa placed a warm hand on his uninjured shoulder in reassurance.

Luckily the radiology department was deserted on a Friday morning. They lay him on the cold counter and positioned him every which way to get the x-rays. Then he was wheeled to CT scan. He was shivering by now because the room felt like walking into a refrigerator. The hard table they strapped him to was unforgiving and uncomfortable, but the hardest part was being told not to move for nearly twenty minutes.

By the time he had gotten back into the wheel chair and was on his way back to his room he was aching horrible and he felt like he was going to throw up. Melissa was talking to him but her voice was muffled and sounded far away. His skin was clammy and his stomach churned. He was wheeled back into his room and he batted away the hands on arms. "I think I'm going to be sick," he didn't want to throw up all over or in front of anyone but he could feel it coming no matter how much he tried to stop it. Melissa had quickly pulled out a catch basin in the bedside table and thrust it under his mouth as he threw up.

He was shaking so badly when he finished that Melissa wiped him with a cloth and then got a cold cloth wiped the back of his neck and began talking softly to him. It was a few minutes before he could make himself listen to what she was saying. He whispered out a hoarse apology as she helped him back into the bed. He curled up on his uninjured side and she popped the safety rail in place before piling blankets on him to ease his chill.

"You have nothing to be sorry for at all Stiles. Are you still feeling sick?" She asked softly as she ran her hand over his forehead and he had a fleeting memory of his mother doing that when he was sick.

"No I'm all right." He said as he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.

He was resting with his eyes closed when he heard movement by the door and squinted through his eyes to see his tired father rush through the door.

He whispered to Melissa apparently thinking Stiles was sleeping. "How is he?" he asked.

"He just had a bunch of x-rays and a CT scan and we're waiting on the results. He just got sick but he's been handling it okay… it's tough for him being here, can't say as I blame him." She said sadly.

He heard his father sigh tiredly as he took in the news. "I'm going to stay here as long as I can but I now have two missing persons with frantic parents. I've got my deputies on the very few leads I have."

"You need to rest to you know. You can't save everyone if you are dead on your feet." Melissa admonished him.

"Look who's talking." His father chuckled.

Good God! Stiles thought, they were flirting! If he had anything left in his stomach it might have made a reappearance. He loved them both dearly but having to hear their awkward attempts at flirting made him squeamish.

Luckily a nurse entered a moment later to spare him anymore. Though what she brought with her was enough to make him wish otherwise. A lunch worker was behind her and sat a tray of food on the table and disappeared. The food was the furthest thing in his mind as the nurse set up shop next to him. She smiled at him and if he had been anyone other than the patient he would have checked her out. She was young and cute but she held several blood draw tubes and an IV pack. "I'm just going to take some blood and then we'll hook you up with an IV line and get some fluid into you and something to help with the pain." She told him with a smile on her face as if she looked forward to torturing him. It was Beacon Hills… so maybe she was a dominatrix on the side… you never could tell.

He bit his lip to hide his terror and his eyes jumped around the room to find a safe place to rest his gaze. Surprisingly his father had moved to his side, he shifted his hands as if he wanted to touch him but wasn't sure where. The nurse was putting the IV in his uninjured side so his father decided to brush the top of his head and down his neck like he had when he was young.

"So what is this about missing kids?" Stiles asked shakily trying to distract himself with a conversation.

His father continued to brush his sweaty brown and head as he answered his question not arguing with him that he needed to keep it private. "I've got two sixteen year olds missing. Not friends or known friends, nothing suspicious in their behavior, their parents say they weren't the type to run away. One didn't come home from school after leaving yesterday and the other didn't get to school this morning after leaving from home. I've got little else to go on." Stiles had felt the pinch of the needle as it entered his vein but he focused on the case. Could this be what Stiles had been waiting for? Was the feeling he had of something constantly lurking coming to fruition? Was chaos about to descend on Beacon Hills?

It was these morbid thoughts that allowed him to make it through the blood draw and the IV insertion without falling into a complete panic attack. He glanced nervously as she hung the bag and produced another needle. "This just goes right in the line, no need to prick you anymore." The nurse told him and he gave her a nervous smile, apparently she had been able to tell he was nervous despite his charade. "This might burn a little going in and it might make you feel a bit light headed and sleepy. You should try to eat a little lunch if you can and get some rest." She said as she pushed the plunger on the needle.

There was a moment of burning followed by a quickly developing lightness. Of course the only pain medication Stiles had ever taken was over the counter so he had no tolerance. His father pushed the tray over and Stiles pulled the misshapen role off the tray and nibbled it slowly. His eyes were growing heavier by the moment as the pain receded a little, it no longer felt like he'd been run over a by a freight train, it lessened to a that of a car running him over, but it was a welcome improvement.

He gulped down his juice and pushed the uneaten food on the tray away as his head lolled back and he sighed in exhaustion. His father retreated from his bed after adjusting his blankets, Stiles was asleep before his father had sat in the chair in the corner of the room to rest.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm not really all that happy with how this turned out but my head is somewhere else and this is the best I can make it do. After this we'll see some of the other characters come into play and find out what might be going on in Beacon Hills._

Chapter Five

Nightmares and Dreams

The darkness still followed him in his drug induced sleep, though the dream was hazy and less terrifying than usual, like his drug addled brain couldn't connect the dots fast enough to be afraid. He awoke when his body began to ache enough to cause him discomfort, the pain pulling him from his nightmare only to face a new one.

For a moment he felt a slight bit of panic at realizing he wasn't in his own bed at home. Remembering he was at the hospital did nothing to dispel the slowly growing panic in his chest. He blinked again to make his eyes adjust to the afternoon sunlight spilling into his room and was startled when he found the round worried eyes of Lydia Martin were starring back at him.

"Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me you were hurt when I asked you last night Stiles?" She demanded with her hand on her hip as she geared up for one of her tirades. She stalled when she spotted Sheriff Stilinski propped up in the corner chair sound asleep.

"I didn't call anyone Lydia; I don't even have my phone." Stiles answered groggily as he sat up a little. "How did you even find out I was here?" He asked rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Scott. He wanted us all in one place. Apparently these disappearances may be the work of something supernatural; I don't know for sure they wouldn't tell me anything. Anyway they're worried and with Derek out of town and Peter missing that they don't have enough wolves to protect all of us defenseless humans." She said the last few words with spite and crossed her arms in front of her protectively, a sure sign she was angry.

"Wait, what?" Stiles said as he sat up further more alert than he had been just a moment ago.

"I'm supposed to stay here with you, your dad and Scott's mom and they've got a patrol around the hospital just in case." Lydia said quietly as she took in Stiles's form on the bed. "So how bad is it?" She asked him just as he opened his mouth to ask her if there was anything else she wasn't telling him.

"I'm not really sure yet, they took a bunch of scans and then gave me something to sleep while they looked them over. I'm not sure if the doctor came back yet or not. So Scott knew I was here then?" Stiles asked her.

She nodded but her attention was on the doctor and Melissa who were walking through the door having a hushed conversation. Stiles wanted nothing more than to shrink into the bed and disappear or better yet to hop up out of the bed and do something more useful than lying in bed like an invalid.

Melissa gave Stiles and Lydia a small smile before rousing his father from his slumber. Without realizing it Stiles had grasped Lydia's hand in his upon their entrance fearing their verdict. She squeezed his hand back and gave him a sad smile. She tugged her hand as she made to pull away to give him some privacy but he tugged her back to the bedside and gave her a look that said he clearly wanted her to stay.

He wasn't sure why but Lydia offered him a small measure of comfort much in the way Melissa did. Maybe it was that she had already seen him at his worst and not judged him for it. Instead she had guided him through it and helped him in the only way she knew how. He still hadn't managed to thank her for help that day, he didn't know how to. Not to mention he couldn't get that kiss, that God forsaken kiss out of his head no matter what he did. Just the thought of it left him tongue tied.

The doctor turned on the x-ray board and threw up a couple of his scans and then turned to his bed with a caring smile. "Alright Stiles we've had a chance to review your scans." He began and Stiles gripped Lydia's hand even tighter in his own, it had to hurt but she never made a sound, instead she brought her other hand to rest comfortingly on his shoulder near the base of his neck. "First, your shoulder looks like it's a clean dislocation, treatment for that is fairly straightforward and the sooner we get that back in place the better. It's already been dislocated a fair amount of time and there is some swelling but I still think this can be addressed with a non-operative procedure." Stiles relaxed a little at the non-operative part but then his brain kicked in at what that meant, he'd be awake. He shuddered in apprehension and Lydia began to rub small soothing circles on the back of his neck and he gave her a grateful smile in return.

Sheriff Stilinski was working out the kinks in his own neck as he listened in. "So that means you are just going to put it back in place while he's awake?" He asked clearly alarmed at the idea.

The doctor gave him a small nod. "We will give it a few tries and if it doesn't work we'll look into putting him under. Now there is also the matter of your ribs. You have two hair-line fractures, here and here." The doctor said as he moved to his x-ray and pointed with the tip of his pen. "Now there really isn't anything to do for those other than to let them heal on their own and to avoid further disruption of the injury. Your hip bone doesn't appear to be fractured just badly bruised and a small chip on the outer edge, but there really isn't any treatment for that other than rest either." The doctor again pointed to the next x-ray before turning back to address the group. "Your neck appears to have no skeletal injuries but you may have suffered some whiplash, and finally your scans revealed a mild concussion."

Stiles took in the diagnosis. It didn't seem as bad as he had imagined until his father brought up what he had missed. "What about his back?" Stiles's heart sunk, of course, the one causing him the most grief and he'd written it out if his mind.

"We have brought in a neurosurgeon to consult on the case. After we get his shoulder in place I've scheduled an MRI." The doctor said and Stiles nearly moaned at how that sounded. Lydia leaned in and pressed her face to his and gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Are you okay?" She kept her forehead leaned against the side of his head with one hand in his the other still gently rubbing his neck. He merely gave a small imperceptible nod of the head as he swallowed thickly.

When they broke apart the adults were staring at them, waiting for them to have their moment. Stiles put on his face of false bravado and let out a slow breath, "When do we get this show on the road?"

"Well I'm prepared to attempt the shoulder alignment now with Melissa's help if you're ready. The sooner we take care of that the sooner you'll feel better and we can get you in that MRI to get a better look at your back and get you taken care of." The doctor stepped away to give them a moment to talk it over.

"Melissa, are you sure this is the best thing? I mean to do this while he's awake? I mean shouldn't they knock him out?" Stiles eyed his father as he shifted nervously looking from Stiles to Melissa as he waited for her answer.

"Well it will be the quickest way to fix the problem. If we can manipulate the shoulder back in place we can get the swelling and pain under control a lot faster. I think it's worth a shot. I know Stiles wanted to get out of here sooner rather than later." Melissa answered as she laid a hand on his leg.

"Let's just try it." Stiles answered. "With everything going on we don't need to stand over me all day and play nurse maid. We can get this over with and then figure out what is going on with these disappearances." Stiles answered.

"Stiles you don't need to worry about that. You need to worry about getting better and leave the rest to me." Sheriff Stilinski stated. Stiles shot him a look that clearly disagreed.

Lydia wiggled her fingers in Stiles's hand and he relaxed his grip. "I can wait outside if..." She said as the Doctor reappeared.

"Please stay Lydia." Stiles asked shakily and the look of terror that surly showed on his face made her stop in her tracks. "Just don't judge me if I cry like a baby or something." He tried to sound humorous but it came out flat.

She shakily pushed her hair behind her ear and nodded. Melissa stepped into action and removed another vial of medication from her newly changed scrubs. "This is a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory it should help a little. You still have morphine in your system. I can't give you more of that for a few more hours." She told him as she pushed the plunger on the syringe into his IV.

"That's okay, as nice as it was I'd rather not lie here all defenseless." He told her with a knowing look and she nodded. The effects were more subtle than the morphine. It made him only slightly groggy and a little more fluid in his joints.

The Sheriff had taken up standing at the foot of the bed checking messages on his phone and trying heavily to avoid watching the unfolding procedure, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Lydia was still holding Stiles's hand next to the IV pole as the Melissa and the Doctor discussed the procedure.

"Dad," Stiles said causing his father to look up hastily. "Dad why don't you go on out and get something to eat or call the station and check on things."

"That's okay that can wait I'm…" he started to mumble.

"Dad, please. I'd rather you not be here for this. I'm in good hands, okay?" Stiles asked his father, his eyes pleading with him to understand. If he had to see his father's expression during this it might be his undoing. His father had never handled his mother's treatments well and avoided them if he could, something he knew he beat himself up over. The look on his face told him that his father was reliving that all over again with his son and Stiles couldn't bear to put him through that. It would hurt him just as much to see his father that way again.

His father must have understood and gave him a nod. He stepped forward and gingerly hugged him and pressed a kiss on his forehead and brushed his sweaty hair back in an affectionate gesture. "I love you kid." His voice trembling a bit as he stood back up to leave.

"Love you too dad." Stiles told him as he watched his father leave with his head bowed clearly very emotional.

"Alright Stiles we are going to give this just a few tries and if it doesn't work I'll have no choice but to schedule you to be sedated. If you try to manipulate an injury like this too much you can do more harm than good." The Doctor informed him as Melissa untied his hospital gown and slid it down his shoulders and slid what looked like a towel under his armpit and brought it around to his good shoulder. "Now we are going to try this method first which involves counter-traction. Melissa will give gentle pressure that way while I give gentle pressure this way. I'm going to lower the bed because you'll need to lay flat for this procedure and we'll wheel the bed forward a bit to give us a bit more maneuvering room." Melissa had stepped next to Lydia to lower the bed and Stiles gripped on to Lydia's hand desperately as the tears started to form in his eyes and his breathing accelerated.

"Stiles," Lydia's soft voice called to him and he looked over to her. "Take deep breaths with me okay?" She took his hand and placed it on her chest, "Breathe with me okay just slow down, feel my breathing and breathe when I do, just keep your eyes on me okay?" He nodded shakily and tried to focus on breathing with her, how she had known he was about to fall over the edge to a full-fledged panic attack he didn't know but he was glad she was there.

He felt them unlock the bed and wheel it forward a few feet and then lock the wheels again. He closed his eyes in anticipation and the first tear managed to make its way down his cheek. Lydia leaned forward with her other hand and gently wiped it away. Stiles tried to focus on that soft touch, on how much he truly cared for the petite girl that was here caring for him instead of what was happening around him. It did seem to help some.

He felt the pull of Melissa pulling on his body at the end of the towel and took a deep breath as he braced for the agony he knew was about to come. The Doctor pulled evenly on his injured shoulder and it was like a white hot poker had been shoved through his shoulder causing him to cry out before he managed to clamp down on his lower lip. The pain seemed to go on forever as they continued to apply the counter pressure before the Doctor attempted to move his shoulder. He pulled up and twisted in a quick movement and Stiles lifted off the bed his back arched in agony. A second later there was a loud pop as the Doctor and Melissa let go of him and Stiles sagged back on to the bed in relief. It felt like an immense pressure had been taken off him, the white hot pain quickly ebbing to something more tolerable. After a time his fuzzy hearing had begun to clear, their voices asking him if he was okay. He could hear Lydia's voice over them all, her voice tinged with an edge of panic asking him to say something to her.

He blinked his eyes open and squinted into the overhead lighting and realized that his face was wet with tears or sweat he wasn't sure which and his chest was still heaving as if he'd run a marathon. His eyes met Lydia's and her face too was wet as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She still had his hand clasped in hers but her other was trying to free his lip from his teeth. Stiles could taste the blood and knew he must have bit through his lip, but he didn't care, it was over. He released his lip and swallowed trying to slow down his breathing and take control of himself. Melissa handed Lydia a moist washcloth and she released his hand and leaned closer as she dabbed his lip gingerly cleaning it as best she could. Without thinking Stiles took his hand and cupped her cheek softly and brushed her tears with the pad of his finger. She leaned into his touch and gave him a smile. "You okay?" She asked him.

"Never better." He answered her.

"We'll need to get a second x-ray to be sure but it looks like we got it." The Doctor said. "Can you move your fingers? Any numbness or tingling?" Stiles wiggled his fingers and shook his head. "Good, now we'll get you in a sling and give you a few minutes to recover and then we'll take you for another X-ray and that MRI."

Stiles simply nodded as the Doctor headed out and Melissa adjusted his bed before she slid his arm into a sling and adjusted it around his neck. After Lydia had cleaned his lip she broke contact to clean herself up. Sheriff Stilinski reappeared his eyes were red rimmed though he appeared a bit better off than he had.

"Stiles." He said gruffly as made his way to the bed and took the hand that Lydia had just left.

"I'm fine dad it's over." Stiles said.

His father gave him a small smile as he looked him over and took in his son's appearance; he gave him a pat on the cheek before asking Melissa for a moment outside. Lydia returned to his side and took a warm washcloth to his face before drying him off. She sighed a little sounding exhausted. He tugged her hand and pulled her down on the bed next to him. She laid her head back carefully and he wrapped his arm around her tightly. He kissed the crown of her head and whispered to her his voice thick with emotion, "Thank you."

She brought her hand over his heart and rested it there. "I'm only returning the favor. How many times have you taken care of me?" She sounded sad and he squeezed her tighter. "I should let you rest before they take you off again."

He held her tightly to him. "Please just stay here with me, like this, maybe it will help me sleep." She relaxed back into him and the last thought Stiles had before he drifted off to sleep was that Lydia was sleeping on him… it gave him a small smile of contentment, if he hadn't of been in so much pain he'd of thought he was dreaming.


	6. Chapter 6

_Here is the latest installment. I hope you enjoy! ~Chasechick_

Chapter 6

What is Going On?

When Stiles awoke Lydia was no longer laying with him. For a moment he thought he fantasized the whole thing but as he repositioned himself he could smell her perfume, he hadn't dreamt it. She had been here and once again helped him through an ordeal he hadn't wanted to face on his own.

There was no one in the room with him and judging by the darkening windows night was quickly approaching. He wondered if there had been any progress on the disappearances or if anything else strange had happened while he was out. He still ached terribly but the throbbing in his shoulder had reduced to a dull ache at least.

He didn't wait long before a nurse arrived and assisted him to the bathroom and then wheeled him down to the radiology department. After another x-ray of his shoulder and a complete scan of his back in the MRI machine she took him back to his room and he shakily climbed back into bed. Melissa arrived as the other nurse hung another IV bag and she gave the woman a smile as she left to finish her rounds.

Melissa had brought a tray of food from the cafeteria and pushed it towards Stiles. "Any news?" He asked as he took a small bite of mashed potatoes.

"None as far as the supernatural are concerned." She answered back as she watched him eat his dinner.

Stiles stopped mid bite. "So there is news just not relating to weird stuff?" He asked her with a bit of his old humor.

"Scott will be in to see you in a few minutes. He had to take care of something or other." She said as she fussed over his blankets. Stiles just nodded his head and tried to sip some milk.

"When can I get out of this damn thing?" Stiles asked pointing his head to the IV drip that he was untangling yet again. "I can't use either of my arms if I'm tied up like this… not to mention… I just don't like it." He said as he shoved his half eaten meal back.

"Well… actually it's not so much for your injuries Stiles… you're pretty dehydrated… and judging by looks of things I'd guess you are a bit underfed as well." Melissa said with a tone of voice that was both unrelenting yet expressed her concern. She waited for him to answer but he stayed silent. "Stiles, you need to be taking better care of yourself. With all that's going on you can't afford to do that kind of thing."

Stiles nodded but couldn't bring his eyes to hers. He felt as if he had disappointed her and he didn't like the guilt that squirmed in his gut. "Your dad also mentioned to me about your meds Stiles. I just want you to know that you can always talk to me. I know the truth about what is going on now, I know a lot of things I'd rather not, but you can always come and talk to me or ask me anything. You know that right?" She asked as she moved closer to the bed and caught his eye.

"Yea. I do. And it's nothing serious or anything. I just… I've been having a hard time sleeping and it started to carry over through the day and then I couldn't focus… so you know it's just a cyclical thing." Stiles said trying to make light of it all in hopes that she'd drop it.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Melissa asked him.

Stiles swallowed thickly before he answered. "I've never slept much to be honest. I think that's the reason I have the ADHD to begin with. But now… ever since that whole ritual I just feel like something is there watching me when I sleep… sometimes I even feel it following me in the daytime. I don't know if it's real or if I'm just going crazy…either way…"

"It's not good." Melissa finished for him. "Have you talked to Deaton about it, maybe you should mention it to him?" Stiles just shook his head. "That might be a place to start, or at least tell Scott… maybe he might know something too." Melissa smiled a caring smile at him before she moved to the foot of his bed.

As if on cue Scott appeared at his door clad in his jeans and leather jacket. He smiled at his mother and whispered something in his ear as she gave him a hug and exited the door. Scott smiled at Stiles as he approached and pulled his bedside chair over closer before flopping down.

"Well?" Stiles said waiting for Scott to spill about everything that was going on like he usually did. Instead he sat there observing Stiles with a stony silence. "Aren't you going to tell me what the hell is going on? I've been stuck in this damn bed all day and no one has told me anything!"

"I'm afraid if I tell you what's going on you'll put yourself in harm's way and it's obvious that you are in no condition to do so." Scott answered and nearly glared at Stiles. Stiles shrunk back a little. The full moon was tomorrow night and with Scott's alpha prowess he could make even the non-lycanthrope bow to his will.

"If I promise to sit here and be a perfect little patient will you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Stiles asked as he yanked angrily on his IV line that had tangled again.

Scott sat forward and put his hands on his knees his head hung in exhaustion and for the first time Stiles felt bad for demanding something from Scott. Scott assuming the role of alpha had been a difficult one for him. The responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders and Stiles knew that he feared screwing up. "Well at first we didn't think anything about the one disappearance, but then the second one happened… Peter isn't with Derek and no one knows where he is. Derek and Cora are on their way back to Beacon Hills now just in case. It's just odd though… I just feel like this is something else… but I can't put my finger on it." Scott sighed and stood up in frustration and started to pace, a trait he had no doubt learned from Stiles.

"You don't think it might have anything to do with that ritual we performed do you? I mean didn't Deaton say that it would be a homing beacon for the supernatural? And I don't know about you but I can't sleep because I literally feel like something evil is just lurking around the corner… haven't you felt it?" Stiles asked him.

Scott turned around abruptly to face him. "What do you mean you've felt something lurking… you can feel something?" Scott was next to the bed now staring at him intently.

"Well… just… I don't know… I'm probably just going crazy but I haven't slept much since then… and when I do it's like there is something following me around… breathing down my neck… just waiting for a chance to strike. And lately… I can feel it when I'm awake too… I just thought I was losing it man… I mean look at me… I'm a freaking basket case." Stiles gave a wide sweep with his good arm over his body. This caused his IV to catch yet again and he tugged on it a bit harshly… "Ow.." he said and stopped immediately.

Scott came over to examine the IV before adjusting the tape for him. He looked down at Stiles with a strange expression on his face. Stiles stopped and looked at Scoot nervously… "Wh-What?"

"You look like hell. I told you that you should have gone to the nurse." Scott answered bemusedly at Stiles and for a moment it's like they were before any of the strangeness had entered into their lives.

"Yea okay so I was a little banged up. Didn't feel it at the time though. So… do you think I'm crazy or what?" Stiles asked bringing the conversation back to where they had started.

"No. I don't think you are crazy, but I haven't had that feeling or felt like anything has been watching me. I don't think Allison has either. I'm going to go over and talk to Deaton in a few minutes to see if he thinks there is any connection between the two." Scott decided even though it looked like Stiles wasn't happy about it. "And what is up with you and Lydia by the way?"

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked attempting to be nonchalant.

"You know what I mean Stiles. One minute you are avoiding her like the plague and the next she's in here weeping by your bedside." Scott asked him and Stiles attempted to shrug only causing him to seethe in pain.

"Well…just so you know it's made things a little tense. Aiden wasn't too happy about it and everyone is either rooting for you or for Aiden… add to it that no one knows where Peter is and something strange is definitely going on…" Scott ran his hands through is hair in exasperation and for the moment Stiles was glad he wasn't in his friend's shoes.

"Sorry. But I really don't know what is going on with me and Lydia. She just… helps… and I've helped her. But she is with Aiden and I swear I haven't done anything… whatever is going on between them is between them… I haven't asked her." Stiles said sadly.

Scott just shook his head and started to smile. "Well apparently something is… that has to be good for you right?" Melissa poked her head through the door and smiled at the two boys.

"Stiles, the neuro is here now, he's going over the scans with the doctor. As soon as they've finished up I'll give your dad a call and we can see what's going on okay?" She waved to them and popped back out the door to check on other patients.

"What's wrong with your back?" Scott asked him.

"Dunno for sure… have to wait and see. I'm feeling better than I was… at least my shoulder isn't killing me like it was." Stiles said as he rubbed his shoulder tentatively through the sling.

"Yea… I heard about that… that sounded intense. Hey listen man; I hope things go good with this appointment of yours… I'll go over and see what Deaton thinks of this whole business and let you know what I find out okay. Oh and here's your cell. I stopped by your Jeep and grabbed it out and charged it for you." Scott said as he plopped it on the bedside table. Even though Scott was busy trying to save the world at least he had stopped to think about Stiles for a moment.

"Thanks man… at least I can surf the web now… maybe do a little research." Stiles shrank when Scott gave him a glare. "I mean I'll play candy crush or something and rest perfectly still." Stile's stuttered out.

Scott gave him an endearing smile and left out the door. Stiles turned his phone on and went through all his missed calls and messages. He had two voicemail from Lydia, one from Scott, one from Allison, and a whole slew of messages… mostly from Lydia. He felt himself smile as he looked through them. He had no idea what was between them but he was thankful she was there.

He quickly typed out a message to Lydia letting her know that he had his phone now and could text… he nicely added that it would keep the loneliness at bay and keep him from doing something stupid if he could communicate with the outside world. Stiles texted Allison as well as his father to let them know he had his phone and then laid his head back on the pillow to wait.

He wondered what the neuro would come up with and silently prayed that it was nothing a little back massage wouldn't cover. He waited lying in his bed listening to the hustle and bustle outside of his room, listening for the telltale signs of his phone getting a message. He hated waiting, just sitting in the dim room with nothing but silence gave him too much time to think… time for his mind to wander. He thought about his dreams and the creepy feeling of something or someone watching him, he was starting to feel it again now that he stopped everything else and focused. And it was making him uneasy.

He could feel something, like it was almost palpable. The more he focused on it the more he could feel it. His hands were starting to shake… if someone didn't come into this room soon he was going to flee IV and all into the hall. But Stiles wondered if he'd be able to run from this at all. He didn't even know what it was. Or what it wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Here is the latest installment… we get to see a little more plot development here. Sorry it took so long, sometimes real life has a way of draining you. I hope you like it… your reviews mean the world! Join me on Tumblr…. Chasechick!_

Chapter 7

Obey Me

Stiles was broken from his panic induced trance by Melissa as she walked in his room with a dinner tray and began adjusting his IV bag. His father followed a moment after looking haggard and tired from another trying day as the Sheriff of Beacon Hills. Melissa and his father passed a knowing glance between each other before his father sat heavily in the chair beside his bed and rested a hand on Stiles's and gave him a small smile.

His doctor and another were stooped in conversation as they entered his room and all other thoughts of demons, Lydia, food or werewolves went out of his cluttered mind. He focused solely on their muttered whispering clinging for any sort of hope they might give that he would be fine and could leave the confines of his bed sooner rather than later.

"Well Mr. Stilinski it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Dr. Blake, the consulting neurosurgeon on your case. I've had a chance to review your scans, and I'm afraid it doesn't look good." The doctor got right to business and Stiles could feel the blood draining from his face his erratic heartbeat thumping in his ears. "I think the only way we are going to be able to fix your problem is through surgery." Stiles opened his mouth to question the doctor but couldn't find the words and he sat there opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

His father saw his son's reaction and voiced the question he knew he wanted to ask. "There aren't any other alternatives? Surgery is pretty serious, and what kind of surgery are we talking about?" His father pulled his hand from Stiles and ran it over his own neck in frustration.

The doctor shook his head acknowledging the question. "Well there are three disks that are currently herniated and it appears that a bundle of nerves is being pressed on by the swelling from the injury causing sharp pains, weakness, it could even cause temporary paralysis if the swelling increases. Now we could attempt to wait to see if the swelling subsides enough and attempt a manual realignment of the discs but we may just end up prolonging the inevitable. If we do it surgically we could put you under general anesthesia and relieve the pressure and align the spine and a temporary brace would be in place for a month or so to assure healing."

Stiles zone out. Something about the Doctor felt off, like he felt an eerie sense of foreboding just looking at the man. He was average looking, well built with a crop of dark hair and dark eyes but nothing that screamed "I'm a psychopath". Stiles just thought his anxiety and fear were causing him to lose touch with reality. Lash out at the man that wanted to cut him open.

"What do you think Stiles?" Dr. Blake asked turning his attention to him. Stiles jumped embarrassed because he hadn't been following along with the conversation and hadn't heard what he asked him.

"I'm sorry what?" Stiles asked and rubbed his eyes that suddenly felt blurry.

The Doctor leaned forward catching Stiles eye and suddenly Stiles felt icy cold. He brought his hand out to touch Stiles's sock clad foot and a painful jolt rocketed up Stiles's body causing him to flinch and bite his already tender lip. Something wasn't right, either this doctor was something other than human or Stiles had seriously taken a walk off the deep end.

"I…uh… I need to think about it and talk it over with my dad, maybe." He swallowed nervously but was finally able to suck in a large breathe of air as the doctor broke eye contact and removed his hand from him. He felt like he was back in the ice water bath all over again, chilled to the bone like he'd never be warm again. He could feel the shivering and trembling of his body all over.

The Doctor nodded and smiled pleasantly at the other doctor and his father and Melissa. Did no one else feel like death itself had walked into the door to pay him a visit?

"Stiles are you okay?" Melissa asked kneeling down on his other side. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." She laid the back of her hand on his forehead and it felt warm and soothing. "Jesus you're freezing." She cast a look over to his father a worried crease between her eyes. She retrieved another blanket from the closet attempting to warm him up. She even went out to the nurse's station and changed his IV bag out with warmed saline but still Stile's shivered.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," Stiles muttered through the chatter of his teeth. "There was something wrong with that guy. Like seriously wrong… like he felt… _evil_." Stiles finished and closed his eyes as he was wracked with tremors like he was being shocked all over again. "Couldn't you feel it?" He asked them as he peered blearily toward them.

Stiles heard the chirp of his phone as he got a message. He tried to slide the screen but his fumbling fingers caused him to drop the phone in the pile of blankets. Melissa retrieved it for him and slid her hand across the screen. She brought her hand to her mouth in shock. "It's from Scott. He said Deaton and he are on their way here but they know for certain something is in Beacon Hills."

Though Stiles was frightened at the news he couldn't help it as blackness pulled at his vision and he blacked out. The darkness was breathing on him the instant he fell into unconsciousness. And for the first time it spoke, though he couldn't see it, it was a mere shadow against the inky blackness that surrounded him. Its voice was raspy and deep. "Obey me. Obey me. Do as I say." Stiles tried to move in the darkness to distance him from the horrible voice and shadow but the shadow blurred and reappeared in front of him. "Do as I tell you or watched your loved ones burn." The shadowy figure proclaimed and it stepped _into_ Stiles and he felt an overwhelming pain, like the searing of pain across his chest.

Someone was screaming loudly, uncontrollably but he couldn't tell who. As he reemerged from the darkness he realized that the screaming was coming from him. "Stiles, Stiles!" He could hear both his father and Melissa shouting.

"Hold him down, I think he's having a seizure." Melissa had shouted and he felt pressure pushing him back down into the bed. He couldn't feel the pain in his shoulder or his ribs or leg, not even his back as he arched off the gurney. No the pain was in his chest as though the evil shadow had tried to rip his very heart from his chest. He managed to gain enough wits to shut his mouth and the terrifying screaming stopped abruptly. He was panting heavily and drenched in sweat as he opened his eyes.

"Stiles, talk to me. What is going on?" Melissa asked him. She peeled the layers of blankets on him to find him drenched in sweat from head to toe.

"It was inside me. Oh my god I feel like I'm going to catch fire." He half cried.

"Tell me does something hurt?" Melissa asked confused and looked as if she were afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him further.

He couldn't form words. What if the darkness was within him, possessing him? What if he were forced to hurt his own family and friends powerless to stop it? He couldn't even keep on one train of thought as Melissa asked him over and over what was wrong.

Lydia had crept in the room behind them, her eyes wide at the commotion and surveyed his current state. "His heart, I can feel it there." She whispered.

Melissa moved quickly peeling back the sweat dampened gown off his good shoulder to look at his chest. There in the middle a large raised angry looking welt was burned across his skin. Stiles could smell the burned flesh and thought he might be sick. Cool hands were on his neck again and her soft voice whispered in his ear to stay with her to look at her. He turned his head obediently and looked into her soft eyes. She smiled at him and kept running her cold delicate hands across his face and body.

Melissa had gone and retrieved his doctor but thankfully the neurosurgeon (if that's what he was at all) remained absent. They buzzed around him hooking up monitors and speaking quickly in hospital jargon. He focused solely on Lydia's face and felt a measure of calm slide over him.

He mouthed the words "thank you" to her and she simply nodded as they turned their attention to the adults in the room. His heart rate was still elevated, his oxygen level well below normal but slowly climbing. Perhaps the most ominous of all was his temperature. It had catapulted to a staggering 108 degrees. They all looked at each other confused. What had happened to him while he had slept? Melissa slipped a nose cannula on him and he could feel dry puffs of air seep out. He laid his head back on the pillow and gripped Lydia's hand in his own.

They examined the burn before applying copious amounts of ointment to it and lightly bandaging it. When the doctor shook his head and bid him goodbye the rest stared at each other in silence. The silence was only broken when Deaton and Scott came strolling in the room, a serious expression on both their faces.

"We have a problem." Deaton announced as Scott shut the door in an attempt to offer them privacy.

"What happened?" Scott asked. All eyes turned to Stiles as they waited for him to explain.

Stiles swallowed thickly and began. "It all started with the sacrifice, dying, whatever you want to call it. Ever since then I've felt… off. I've had trouble sleeping, I've just had this overwhelming sense that something is coming, and something is lurking just out of reach. That paranoia of something watching me started following me when I was awake. It started getting stronger even today, until… Until the neurosurgeon came in for the consult. When he looked at me… and then he touched me and I could feel power surge through me. I felt so cold like I'd never be warm again. I couldn't fight the blackness after that it pulled me under. It kept saying… Obey me, or everyone you love will burn. Then it stepped _into_ me… and it felt like my heart was going to explode. I woke up feeling like I had already caught fire. This," he motioned with his head at his current state, " is the result. It actually burned me… whatever it was… but what if it's _in_ me?" Stiles said growing more alarmed as he continued.

"I can feel it." Lydia announced. "Sort of like I feel death or whatever… but not quite… but I feel it growing stronger. When I walked in and saw Stiles… it felt like it was right in this room. It's fading quickly now." Lydia shakily announced.

Deaton observed quietly for a moment. "It's starting to make a little more sense now." Every eye was riveted on him waiting for him to deliver his news. "Lydia and Stiles shared a connection before, and even more so after the ritual sacrifice, add to it that she can already sense some supernatural events would lead me to believe her more than anyone can sense it. I think during the sacrifice something else set its sights on you two. And from what you mentioned it definitely sounds demonic in nature… it sounds like its possessing people and it really wants your help Stiles."

"H-Help with what?" Stiles asked shakily as Lydia leaned her head back against his.

"I don't know," Deaton said. "But I think we're going to find out."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry for the wait on this one… I actually had it written but didn't get to edit it until today. Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls every once in a while. Join me on Tumbr… and please leave a review if you feel so inclined…. I rather like reading them =) Chasechick_

Chapter 8

Sounds Like A Party

The cacophony of all the voices, of everyone trying to talk over each other at the news made Stiles's head spin. He zoned out entirely staring vacantly at a spot on the blanket until Lydia's voice pulled him from his reverie.

"Whatcha thinking?" Lydia asked him quietly as the others brainstorm what ifs as if he wasn't sitting right there.

"That it's probably not safe for anyone I care about to be around me." Stiles answered her in a defeated voice.

"Not safe to be around _us_ you mean." He snapped his eyes to hers. He expected to find her trembling and worried but instead her eyes were calm and her thick lips are forming a gentle smile. "Deaton said it had set its sights on us. Don't go writing me out of this so soon." She laid her hand back on his and they intertwined their fingers together. He's wasn't sure what they he and Lydia had become, friends or something more, but she's right. They were in this together and for a moment he doesn't feel so terrified or alone.

The voices have faded down and most of them look at each other and shrug as if they have no idea what to do. "So what do we know about demonic possession?" Stiles directed his question to Deaton.

"Well it depends on the type of demon, they all manifest differently. They gain power by death, pain and fear. It is also usually easier for them to enter their choice hosts when their guard is down, like sleeping or drugged for example."

"So was the nero just possessed then?" Melissa asked.

"It's possible but not likely. More than likely he is a spark attempting to summon him for his own benefit, or a person compelled into doing so I won't know which until I touch him." Deaton answered in his annoyingly calm demeanor.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Scott asked clearly out of his element.

"I'll know one way or the other when I touch him. What concerns me more is that if there is one there could be others attempting to get this demon a physical body. And by physical body I mean…"

"Me." Stiles answered without any hint of emotion.

Deaton smiled at him with a shrug of his shoulders apologizing for bringing bad news. "Is there any way to fight him off… some kind of spell or…?" Lydia asked.

"Other than getting off the narcotics and not sleeping… you already seem to defy him but his physical manifestations of anger will only grow stronger. I'm not sure how much you will be able to sustain before he wears you down." Deaton answered.

"So surgery is out of the question Stiles… at least until this is over." Melissa stated very matter of fact. It shouldn't have made Stiles feel better but it did, he hadn't been looking forward to surgery at all.

"That also means you are unplugging me from this drip with the drugs in it and getting me my clothes. If I'm going to be fighting demons I don't want to be doing it in my underwear." He said putting on a stoic face and bringing back his sarcastic shield.

Lydia giggled and it brought a smile to his face. "Okay then. Other than Stiles not streaking around the hospital what's the plan?" Sheriff Stilinski asked.

"Well I think it would be safer to move Stiles somewhere else where he isn't easily accessible. Keep Lydia with him. Keep up a patrol on wherever we keep him. In the meantime Scott and I will try and get a feel for the good doctor. Allison and Isaac are scouring for information with her father in his libraries. And the twins can continue to keep guard." Deaton listed everyone off.

Sheriff Stilinski' s phone began to ring and he sighed heavily and stepped over to the corner to try to take the call. Everyone else sat quietly as he took the call gleaning for any more information.

He hung up and turned up his eyes heavy. "They found a body. It was the first student to disappear. He looks cooked." He hung his head, "I have to go inform a family their child is gone." He choked out and nodded before walking out.

"That's demonic in nature by the sounds. This can only mean this demon is growing in strength. Stay alert Stiles… he's inevitably going to try for possession again as soon as you drop your guard. Melissa why don't you see if you can alter the hospital records for Stiles and cover our tracks as best we can, make him disappear? I think you should stay with him and Lydia, perhaps my office would be a safe haven of sorts." Deaton answered as he moved to make his way to the door.

Scott approached his mother and gave her a hug. "I'll have Aiden pull your car around to the drop off in ten minutes. You three get in it and head straight to Deaton's office, no detours. The twins will follow and then keep guard at the office." Scott gave Stiles a nod before following Deaton out the door.

"Alright then I need to go see if I can make you disappear in the computer." Melissa said before moving to the cupboard and removing Stiles's clothes and shoes. She moved over the monitoring equipment and began flipping it off and unhooking it expertly. She grabbed some gauze and tape from a drawer and gingerly pulled the IV needle from Stiles's hand. She was so quick Stiles hardly had time to flinch before it was over. "Lydia help Stiles get dressed and then I'll meet you back here and we'll head to the car." She said as she quickly fled the room, clearly a woman on a mission.

"Awkward." Stiles laughed dryly.

"Oh please, nothing I haven't seen before. It's not like you're naked." Lydia retorted. She peeled the hospital gown off the rest of the way and tossed it over on the chair. She took in his form and bit her lip as she observed his injuries. "You really are a mess aren't you?" She asked trying to inject humor in her tone but falling flat. She slid his pants on and over his hip, and once again Stiles was thankful he'd had the foresight to wear athletic pants instead of jeans. She slipped his shoes on over his socks and tied them quickly before stepping back and trying to decide how to put a shirt on him.

"I think I need to slip off the sling and then we can put it back on. " Stiles said laying his good hand on her arm. She jumped at the contact and then gave him a nervous smile. She shakily undid the clasp and let the tension out before slipping it over Stiles's head. He bit his lip but never made a sound as the sling came off. She pulled the t-shirt over his head and then eased his bad shoulder through causing Stiles to hold his breath until his arm was through the shirt. When he was finally dressed Lydia eased his arm back into the sling and readjusted it.

She picked up Stiles's phone and slipped it in her bag before pulling his jacket loosely around his shoulders. "Ready to go?" Melissa asked breathlessly as she stopped in front of him with a wheel chair. Stiles looked at the thing as if he were about to argue but the look on Melissa's face made him think better of it. Stiles shakily eased into the chair and they snuck quietly out of the door and down a mostly deserted hall.

True to his word Scott had the car waiting for them. Melissa and Lydia helped Stiles into the back seat and Lydia hopped in the front, her eyes nervously scanning their surroundings. Melissa reappeared and hopped into the driver's seat and wasted no time throwing the car in gear and heading towards Deaton's office.

Stiles could see in the back of the SUV as they sped under street lamps, it looked like someone had went shopping in the supply closet and Stiles couldn't help but admire Melissa's thought for the future.

By the time they had arrived at Deaton's Stiles was really starting to feel the ache, the drugs having all but nearly left his system by now. With no wheelchair to carry him he leaned heavily on the girls as a very grumpy looking Aiden opened the door for them. The only seating options available where the operating tables and a rickety old couch in Deaton's tiny office, they opted for the couch.

"Sorry but that table reminds me too much like something in the morgue." Stiles puffed out as he finally laid down on the couch on his good side and curled up slightly. He was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and feeling worse by the minute. Someone had brought all the goodies from the car in and Melissa set about at once getting things in order.

"You doing okay?" Stiles asked Lydia.

"I should be the one asking you that." She said perching on the arm of the couch and running her fingers through his sweaty hair.

"It's just probably uncomfortable with your boyfriend hanging out right here… I'm sorry you got pulled into this Lydia." He let out a shaky breath trying to keep his composure but the stress and anxiety of everything was weighing heavily on him. The familiar crushing sensation was returning.

Lydia kneeled in front of him and took his face in her hands. "This is not your fault Stiles. Remember Deaton said it set its sights on both of us. And I don't have a boyfriend… not anymore." She looked away and returned to her perch on the arm of the couch.

"What do you mean you don't have a boyfriend anymore?" Stiles asked his heart pounding for a different reason than fear.

"We were never officially together, and I told him today that I didn't have feelings for him. I had feelings for someone else." Lydia said, "Besides, that's not important, we have far greater things to be worried about at the moment."

Melissa returned and broke their moment by fussing over him. She tucked a blanket around his legs, checked his shoulder and looked him over. "How's your back?" She asked as she leaned behind him and raised his shirt.

"The same." Stiles said still half smiling at Lydia's announcement a moment earlier.

"You probably really should be lying flat on one of those tables. It'd be better for your back, you can't lay flat on this old thing… but I guess for now I'll let it be but if it gets worse that's where you're going."

Stiles simply nodded in agreement. Lydia's bag began ringing and she slipped inside to see that her phone was ringing, "It's Allison." She said before accepting the call.

"Hey Alliso… what? Oh um… okay. I'll see you in a few minutes." She hung up and shakily put the phone back in her bag. Both Stiles and Melissa were staring at her waiting for her to say something. "Allison and Isaac and Mr. Argent are all on their way here, they found something in one of the archaic books. She said Deaton and Scott are on their way over here too."

"Sounds like a party then." Stiles joked but both women just glared down at him. "Or not then."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I thought about waiting to post this chapter to give a little more of a break in between but I couldn't resist. I love how this one turned out. Did anyone see the clip of season 3B? It did give a bit of a hint that Stiles may face possession in this season…. January seems so far away! So for now… enjoy!_

Chapter 9

Fight For Me

They waited in tense silence for the others to arrive. Besides the occasional dog or cat mewling in the back kennels the silence was only permeated by Stiles restlessly trying to find a more comfortable position to rest in. He was starting to realize the couch might not have been the best idea but he didn't want to seem like an invalid or a corpse on the table just yet.

Allison, Isaac and Mr. Argent were the first to arrive and the noise increased dramatically as they all tried to find out what Allison had found. "I'd rather just wait until everyone is here and we can go over it once." Allison said as she shrugged out of her coat. She looked for a place to toss it but the room was so small that she ended up folding it over her arm to hang on to.

"Stiles, I think we should go in the other room. There will be more room for everyone so we can get an idea of what's going on. Unless you'd rather wait in here?" Lydia asked him.

He shook his head defiantly. He did not want to be left behind and out of the loop. He needed to be a part of this; a part of the solution or his hysteria would overcome him. He winced as he sat up, his back had grown stiff but he stood with little assistance and began the painful shuffle of someone in their eighties. He was thankful that Melissa had gone on to set up shop in the other room and Allison and Isaac had gone along to help her. Mr. Argent gave him a small smile and followed behind him ready to help him should he need more assistance than Lydia's petite frame might offer.

Thankfully Deaton's office wasn't far from the exam room and Stiles made it before his strength wore out. The room was sterile and cold and Stiles shivered involuntarily as he made his way over to sit in a metal chair. Melissa gave him a look that clearly said she'd wanted him on the table but she kept silent and let him continue on. The room, as cold and clinical as it was, was the only semi open room with enough space to accommodate their growing group.

Not long after Stiles had eased himself down on the cold metal of the chair Scott and Deaton made their arrival but judging by their expressions they were none too thrilled with whatever they discovered. Deaton was just about to begin their impromptu meeting when the door burst open again and in waltzed Derek and Cora, both with matching expressions of apathy, as if they were strolling into the supermarket and not the Vet's office to discuss demonic activity.

"Derek, Cora, nice to see you." Deaton glossed over their arrival and began the meeting. "Okay, we were able to get a feel on the doctor; he's definitely being compelled by someone to do their bidding. And that someone has a lot of power and control over him. I couldn't break it right there. I could try again to break the control with something a little more complex and get him to treat you but there still poses the problem of putting you under Stiles, so I think that's still off the table."

Everyone looked to Stiles to see his reaction and he simply gave a shrug forgetting his shoulder had been only just been located to its rightful position and gave him a smarting pain. He grimaced and tried to play it off coolly but was thankful when he could feel Lydia's warm hand begin to rub his neck softly in comfort. He relaxed the weight of his head against her hip and hand and listened as they described his fate.

"Now what did you find out in your books Allison?" Deaton gave the floor to her and Allison stood and nervously bit her lip as she looked to her father who nodded for her to take the reins.

"Well we found some mention of a demon that particularly likes to burn people. He also is drawn to those that have known great loss in their lives and chooses them most often as a host. His name is Tulath." Allison nervously pushed her hair behind her ear and looked around at everyone but Stiles, like she couldn't bring her eyes to his because of the news she was carrying. "From what we can tell the only way to halt or expel him would be an exorcism ritual. This particular ritual again would involve putting Stiles into a trance and stopping his heart entirely. It is then up to the individual to fight the demon off from behind the veil. A second participant is required to enter into the realm beyond the veil to find the subject and pull them both back to the living." When Allison looked up she had tears falling down her cheeks when she finally met Stiles's eyes.

He swallowed thickly as he tried to process her words. He'd have to die, again. The first time had been a gateway to possession, what would a second time bring? It was up to him to fight off a demon once he passed into that terrifying abyss again, how the hell was he supposed to fight off a demon, especially one that had power to reach out and hurt him or anyone he cared about? Someone wanted this demon and they could be bearing down on them right now. His brain rapid fired until he couldn't complete a single thought, it was all too much. But one thought rang out more clearly than all the rest; _someone would have to come in after him._

"Stiles! Stiles!" His name sounded far away but he tried to turn his head to find the source of the sound. His head lay against something soft and warm… _Lydia!_ He nearly jumped at the thought but his body didn't move. "Stay with me Stiles. I'm right here. Look at me, breathe in with me and then out. Breathe with me." She placed her arm around his head and hugged him to her. As his blurry vision came slowly back into focus and his ragged breathing and began to at least come regularly he realized that only Lydia, Stiles and Melissa remained in the room and Melissa was attempting to give them a fair amount of privacy. She stood guarding the door where she must have pushed the others when he fell apart.

"I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly. "I'm not strong enough for all this. There isn't any way for me to fight off this Tulath. Lydia I can't do it." And he let the tears and worries seep out with his tears as he cried against her. She ran her fingers through his hair and rocked him gently and kept whispering to him. And for probably the hundredth time that night he was thankful his father was elsewhere trying to protect the town and not watching him lose it entirely. He doubted his father would have allowed him to die a second time, even if it was their only solution.

"You are so strong Stiles, you are. I know you don't think it but I can't imagine what you've gone through and you're still here. Don't give up yet. Don't give up on me." She whispered to him. Stiles pulled out of her reach and looked at her eyes that were wet and he brushed the tear tracks off her cheeks with the pad of his thumb wishing he had two hands to cup her beautiful face.

"Lydia, I would never give up on you." He whispered hoarsely.

"Then fight him Stiles. Fight for me." She answered back her eyes blazed with fierce determination. She was fighting for him. He had to fight if even there was a chance it meant they could have a chance together.

"Lydia I…" They gravitated toward one another; he couldn't pull his eyes from her lips as she licked them nervously. When they came together the touch was soft and gentle as their lips ghosted over one another. When the delicate kiss ended a more desperate one took its place more passionate and needy than the one before. Stiles could feel the burn, as if he could be consumed by this feeling. They continued on for a while before Stiles realized it wasn't just the intensity of the kiss causing him to feel the heat.

"Stiles you're really hot." Lydia spouted as they broke the kiss and as much as Stiles wanted to believe she meant it as a compliment he knew she was only commenting on his body temperature.

"Stiles?" Melissa had reappeared; he had forgotten she had been there at all. A brush of her cool hand on his forehead and she quickly retrieved a thermometer to take his temperature. "103, dear God. Deaton I need you in here." She shouted.

Scott and Deaton both pushed into the room and before Stiles could figure out what was going on Scott had effortlessly lifted him onto the cold examining table and laid him down. Deaton had grabbed ice from the freezer and dumped the entire bag over his fully clothed body. The ice pelting him should have hurt his injuries, but all he could fee was relief. He could see the steam rise off of his body.

"What the hell was that?" Scott asked looking to everyone in the room.

Stiles looked to Lydia but she was looking at Deaton who returned her gaze curiously. "I think we just figured out how we're going to fight that demon Scott." Deaton answered as he started to grin.

It took Stiles's overcooked brain a moment to register what he meant. "No. No way." It came out shakier and weaker than he wanted. "I will not have Lydia be put in any more danger for this." Lydia glared down at him but Stiles was adamant. "I can't lose you Lydia and I won't see you hurt, I won't."

"And I can say the same thing about you Stiles, I'm going to help you whether you want me to or not… I can't lose you." And with that all his willpower to fight against her went right out the window.

He sighed in defeat. "Okay, what do we do?"


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Nearing the end of this journey. Though I'm sure I could always right another Teen Wolf story because the platform is pretty open, you could pretty much write a story about anything. Any prompts that haven't been done you're interested in? I plan on having another chapter/epilogue to follow this up. Hope you enjoy it!_

Chapter 10

While Deaton, Allison and Scott's mom poured over plans and books Lydia stayed with Stiles and watched the commotion from afar. The two gulped thick black coffee out of dingy cups to keep awake.

"Lydia, I appreciate the gesture and all but you really should get some sleep. I'll be okay for a little while." Stiles told her as he brought the cup shakily to his lips to take another scalding sip.

"No. What if because he can't get to you he tries to possess me instead?" Lydia asked him her eyes big and round with worry. He placed his mug down slopping some over the sides and brought his hand to her leg and traced small circles with his thumb. He couldn't say anything to dispel her worries, they were accurate and they both knew it. They both had been a part of the ceremony that drew him here and he was attached to him which also meant he was attached to her.

It was evening on the second day in Deaton's office. Thankfully a Sunday and the vet's office was closed or they would have had some angry pet owners to deal with. Stiles had managed to keep from falling asleep and had yet to feel the tendrils of evil swirl over him though he constantly felt like someone was watching. They had decided it was probably better if he wasn't in on the planning, the less he knew the better.

His body throbbed but he adamantly refused to take any pain relief fearing that it would allow the demon to overcome him or lull him into sleep. He was actually thankful for the pain because even though he was exhausted and wanted to sleep the agony he felt would have made it nearly impossible. Scott and Isaac had gone out to retrieve the necessary items for the exorcism. It wouldn't be long now.

"Are you scared?" Lydia asked him clearly uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen between them.

"Honestly? I'm too tired to be scared. I'm in too much pain. I'm just ready for this to be over, one way or the other." Lydia stifled a gasp of concern and brought her hand to his sweaty brow and pushed his bangs back and he closed his eyes at the comforting gesture.

His father arrived looking worse for the wear. One look at him and Stiles could tell he hadn't been the only one refraining from sleep. His father seemed to have aged since he had last seen him before his dramatic escape from the hospital. He seemed to be aware of what was happening, someone had kept him informed, and that he was grateful for, he couldn't tell his father he was going to die. His father made a beeline right for him and brought his arms around him and pulled him into a hug. His ribs and shoulder protested, his back singing in pain but he didn't care he longed for the contact. His father was brushing kisses on the top of his head and mumbling incoherently but Stiles could feel the hiccupping in his breath and the pounding in his father's chest. His father was crying. And of course that set him off too.

They stayed locked in their familial embrace for minutes or hours, either way Stiles wasn't ready for it to end just yet. But time has a way of marching forward on you whether you want it or not. "John, Stiles, sweetie we're ready." Melissa said as she laid a hand on both of the Stilinski men, her eyes were laced with worry and unshed tears.

Stiles nodded and brushed the tears off of his cheeks with the back of his shirt. "Okay, let's get this party started." Stiles attempted.

"If you weren't hurt and your life in imminent peril I'd smack you for that." Lydia chastised him as she helped support his weight as he lumbered over to the shiny morgue like table in the middle of the room. "And when you are all better I'm going smack you silly, remember that."

Stiles chuckled at her poor attempt at nonchalance. "Deal." It was easier to focus on something else rather than what was about to occur. He let out a small whimper as they hoisted him onto the table. He'd be thankful to be over this so that he could go back on medication without fear of being burned alive. The pain really was getting to him nearly making him delirious. He nearly bit through his lip as they unclasped his sling and pulled his clammy shirt off him and laid him stiffly back on the cold table.

Melissa removed the bandage covering the welted burn on his chest and checked it over. She moved his injured arm down to his side and it hurt but not as much as he would have thought. She moved to his good hand and started an IV line, shutting the valve to off. He looked at her kind of puzzled. "For later." She murmured. She didn't need to specify. After he was dead and hopefully managed to take on a demon and come back. After. Hopefully there was an after.

Lydia took over the position on his good hand and clasped it in both of hers. Tears were making tracks down her cheeks. Stiles longed to kiss them away and he promised himself he would when they were both back.

Everyone that wasn't partaking in the ceremony was pushed to the periphery of the room. The lights had been shut off and Deaton had lit candles around the room and began burning different types of herbs. Deaton nodded to Lydia who begrudgingly let go of Stiles's hand and placed a kiss on his cheek. "See you soon." She whispered in his ear before she made her way over to stand with Allison, Melissa and his father. He couldn't look at them anymore. Instead he trained his eyes on the ceiling and tried to focus on his breathing.

"Okay Stiles. We're going to start with the ceremony. This will call the demon. The demon will drain you until it pulls you under, to the veil. It is there that you must defeat him. We will send Lydia in after a bit and she will be able to pull you back. If everything goes well we should be done before breakfast." Deaton said giving him a small smile.

Deaton began chanting in some language Stiles had never heard of. After only a moment he felt the first pull of the demon reaching out for him. It felt like shackles made of electric and it hurt but at the same time he couldn't move. He clenched his eyes shut and took huge breaths and blew it out noisily. He didn't want them to see him cry or scream. If he was going to die, especially if it might be permanent, he wanted to go out with a shred of dignity.

The demon continued to wrap itself around him, cocooning him in a ball of pain. Stiles still had not cried out though he surly had bit through his lip again because the acrid taste of blood filled his mouth. The pressure on his chest is immeasurable. This is surly what it must feel like when you get something heavy dropped on you, like say a semi. The weight is crushing and he can't get air into his lungs. His mind is screaming in panic but physically he is silent. His vision is dimming rapidly and realizes this is it. The moment he's going to cross over from the land of the living to the other side. He truly preferred the icy cold bath technique they used previously. This was far worse than drowning.

He could hear rather than feel his heart beat erratically slowing with each thump. He desperately wanted air but knew he wouldn't get it. He tried to relax his limbs and stop his fighting instinct but he couldn't. He knew he needed to die to face this evil but he still couldn't stop his body from fighting to survive.

The light finally faded out and Stiles was plunged into a frigid darkness. For a demon that could set him on fire you'd think he would have at least felt a little warmer. But perhaps death was always cold and empty no matter what demon took you there.

He could see the hazy demon take a shape in front of him. "At long last, you obey me!" The demon spoke though Stiles couldn't be sure because he couldn't really see him.

"No, I don't obey you. I'm not going to ever obey you. You need to go back to whatever depth of hell you surfaced from." Stiles spat out angrily. The demon lunged out and grabbed him by the throat. Even though he couldn't breathe it still felt as if he were choking. When he finally convinced his mind of that he went lax and quit struggling. The demon was furious and threw him causing him to roll with the impact.

His body was damaged in the real world but here near the veil it had been strangely perfect. That was until he'd stopped the free fall from the throw with his arms. They were scuffed and bleeding from the impact. "You dare speak to me with disrespect. I will consume you. I will have your body for my own. Then I will dismember each and every person standing in that room with you Stiles. That's right I know there are people watching over you right now. That you hope to conquer me, I hate to tell you that will never happen."

Stiles didn't answer. Provoking the demon didn't seem to have any good effect other than making him angry and violent. He didn't know how he was ever going to defeat him. He slowly stood brushing off nonexistent dirt and stood shakily to his feet.

The demon pounced on him again punching him ruthlessly in the face, the stomach, breaking him down bit by bit. But Stiles continued to dust himself off and stand up after each relentless attack. He focused his mind on something else. On the love he feels for his father and his need to protect him. On the love his mother could easily give even as she lay on her death bed. On his best friend and all they'd been through together. On Melissa and how she had stepped up to be a nurturing and loving figure he so desperately needed. He thought about the pack and how they fought for one another now instead of with one another. He focused on anything and everything. He saved Lydia for last, when he was sure his strength would give out and he'd succumb to the demon's wrath once and for all. As if the thought of the girl brought her forward she appeared next to him.

The demon looked furious and completely undone. He hadn't been expecting another person to enter their private party. The demon moved quickly, to no doubt inflict his pain on Lydia, but Stiles was faster he side stepped in front of her and punched forward with his fist. The demon impaled himself on Stiles's hand. There was no blood, no wet feeling, and no bone breaking, just a feeling of emptiness, of searing heat and dust.

Stiles pulled his hand back through and the figure of the demon scattered much like dust in the wind. Stiles collapsed down onto his hands and knees cradling his burned and blistered hand. He was spent. He was so tired he needed to just lie down and go to sleep.

"Stiles?" Lydia's voice echoed a little like she was far away. "Stiles you can't go to sleep now. You can't. It isn't your time. You need to come back with me." She held out her hand to him and Stiles knew he needed to take it. To go back to his body and his life but he wasn't sure that's what he wanted anymore. In this hereafter he was fading and soon there wouldn't be any more pain. He could rest and he felt so weary and spent that's all he wanted.

"Fight for me Stiles." Lydia cried and one look at her tear strained eyes and he knew he couldn't leave her. He grasped her hand in his and stood shakily to his feet. He brushed his hand on her cheek and leaned into kiss her lips.

And then his world exploded. He was back.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Epilogue

Stiles was alive. The only way he knew that to be true was the excruciating amount of pain he was in. His body screamed out like every piece of him had been broken and put back together wrong. He tried to open his eyes to move his hand to let them know that he was okay but he was so exhausted. He could hear the excited voices calling above him. Melissa, Deaton, his father and finally Lydia's soft tears as they all quieted down.

He fell asleep or passed out he wasn't really sure. And for the first time in a long time he was sleeping and he wasn't being hunted by some psychotic demon. He only knew that the time had indeed passed because when he awoke, or as close to consciousness as he could get, he could feel the soft bed beneath him. Gone was the cold morgue like table he'd been on.

He wasn't sure how long he was out of it for. He was able to pry his eyes open once and he found he was in his own room, his bedside lamp glowing softly, his father asleep in a chair he'd dragged in beside the bed. He only managed to stay awake briefly before falling back asleep. The second time he awoke the sun was coming through the window and Lydia's petite frame had taken the place of his father. She was reading a text book and making notes in her notebook.

She must have felt his eyes on her because she snapped them up to see him. "Oh my God! Stiles!"  
She shouted excitedly and tossed her books carelessly to the floor with a crash causing Stiles to flinch. "Sorry," she whispered as she gingerly took his hand in hers and leaned against the bed. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" She asked her eyes round and probing into his.

It took him a few tries to whisper out "water" and she leaped to her feet as quick as she could and returned with a glass of water from the bathroom sink. She spilled some on him as she brought it to his lips but he couldn't complain. It was cold and wet and he took a few long drinks before relaxing his head back on the pillow. "How long?" He said as his eyes started to droop again.

"Three days. You've been out three days. I have to call your Dad and wake up Melissa. They'll be upset they missed you. But get some rest Stiles, we'll be here when you wake up." She brushed her hand softly over his brown and he closed his eyes and fell back into a heavy, peaceful, slumber.

When he woke up again both Melissa and his father were by his bedside. Melissa was adjusting an IV and something next to his bed and his dad had his hand on her shoulder in an intimate gesture and suddenly Stiles felt like he was spying. He tried to move so they'll know he's awake but it takes him a little bit and he ends up jostling his sore body causing him to groan.

It succeeds in halting their flirting or whatever it was they were doing. Their attention was immediately drawn to him as they started fussing over him. "How are you feeling son?" His father asked with a deep furrow in his forehead. He looked exhausted.

"Sore. Okay." He managed to croak out. His father beamed at him his eyes glistening heavily with unshed tears.

"Glad to hear it, you gave us quite a scare, but it's all good now. Can I get you anything?" He asked him as he unnecessarily straightened his blankets.

"Drugs?" Stiles asked looking to Melissa.

She shook her head ruefully at him but had a smile on her face. "Sorry kiddo, unless you are under the care of a doctor you are stuck with over the counter. We really should take you back in soon anyway."

Stiles shook his head adamantly. "Bathroom?" He asked his father. His father nodded and Melissa temporarily stopped his IV flow as his father helped him stand shakily to his feet. He leaned heavily on his father not really strong enough to carry his own weight. He was thankful to relieve himself and would be happy to be under his own damn power again. He hated feeling helpless!

His father helped him back into the bed and Stiles whimpered again as his stiff back protested to the movement. "Easy now." Melissa said as she helped ease him into a semi reclined position and plugged his IV back in. "You can have another muscle relaxer, it might help some." She said as she opened his container of pills and plopped the small pill in his hand and handed him a glass of water.

He had just swallowed the pill when Lydia returned. She was wearing a different pair of clothes so she must have gone home or maybe that was days ago that he'd woken up to her by his bed he couldn't be sure. He gave her a quick smile and she lit up at him beaming her megawatt smile back at him. "How you doing?" She asked as she moved to his free side.

"Trying to avoid the inevitable." He answered and she quirked her eyebrow at him. "Figuring out my return date for going back to Beacon Hills Tort… I mean the hospital." Melissa was giving him her fake glare and Stiles acted like he was chagrined at his sarcasm.

"Might as well get it over with. Besides I'm going to need you on the mend, the winter formal is coming up next month and I really would like a dance." She blushed at her forwardness and Stiles let out a nervous laughter.

"Seriously? Really?" His voice cracked as his voice screeched. His face immediately was awash in crimson. "Wait is this some trick to get me back to the hospital?" She didn't answer but brushed her hand against his cheek.

His dad cleared his throat. "So about that treatment? What do you think kiddo did you want to try manual adjustment or go ahead with surgery?"

"I don't know, whichever has the least amount of recovery time involved. I'm done feeling like an invalid." Stiles answered and looked to Melissa for her opinion.

"Well you could try manual manipulation, it would be hell but if it worked it would be outpatient and it would be a few visits to physical therapy. But if it doesn't work you'd end up in surgery anyway. Surgery would require anesthesia and a hospital stay, but you'd be out of it when they fixed you. You'd have to wear a brace for a month or two." Melissa explained and Stiles head began to spin. He hadn't had an Adderall in a long time and it was affecting him.

"I'm going to have to take a little bit to process that. I'll figure it out. Soon." He finished as his father gave him an exasperated look. "In the meantime can someone fill me in on everything that went down while I was… out?"

Melissa and Lydia looked at each other before looking to his father. His father swallowed nervously and his grasp on his emotions was tenuous at best. So Lydia cleared her throat and began to explain. "Well… Deaton did his summoning or whatever you call it and we could _feel_ it. Like this overwhelming presence that was just suffocating. We could see it pull you under even as you fought it." She paused her voice was thick with emotion and tears began to well up in her eyes in danger of spilling over. Stiles grabbed her small hand in his and began tracing it with the pad of his thumb, either for his comfort or hers he wasn't sure. Lydia paused and the forged onward, "It was the worst thing in my life I have ever seen and I will NEVER watch you die again Stiles, do you hear me?" She lost control then and the tears spilled over.

Melissa picked up for her. "We waited for ten minutes before we put Lydia under in the ice water. You were out for another ten minutes. As your injuries can attest the demon was able to cause some physical damage, nothing too serious other than some 2nd degree burns on your hand though. You both reemerged but you hadn't regained consciousness so we simply prayed that you were okay. And I second the fact that we are never going to watch that happen again young man." Melissa too began to lose her composure. Stiles was sniffling a little himself but he kept his eyes trained on the blanket afraid to look at anyone.

"Well hopefully we won't have to go through that ever again." He said after a moment. His eyes were already growing heavy with sleep. He fought to stay awake. "Dad, I don't want them to put me under, I'm afraid it would be too much like…" He trailed off and it was obvious to all of them in the room what he was referring to.

"Okay son. Get some rest."

The next afternoon found Stiles at the outpatient therapy room at the Beacon Hills hospital. He had begged his father to allow Lydia to come along but he had staunchly insisted that she return to school. So he sat nervously bouncing his good leg waiting for his name to be called.

They had him take his muscle relaxer and a mild narcotic to ready him for the manipulation. He lay face down on the chiropractic table and the doctor entered the room. The first manipulation lasted twenty minutes and Stiles was glad he had kept from crying, but only just. Thankfully this route came with a good pain pill prescription and Stiles went home in a hazy bliss.

The second time went scarcely better than the first but surprisingly by the following morning his back was far less painful and for the first time in a long time he had hope that this treatment might actually work. His shoulder was only a dull ache now and he could take the sling off for short periods of time. His bruised ribs were tender but he was turning a sickly yellow shade from the blues and blacks that he had been. He kept himself busy during the days keeping his assignments caught up and texting his friends each day. Lydia came over every evening to make sure he wasn't falling behind and to make sure both he and his father were taking care of each other. In fact, his house had a revolving door as of late. Frequented visits from Scott and Isaac wanting to watch movies or play Xbox, Allison, even Derek and Cora made an appearance. Melissa visited too though it wasn't him she was coming to see. It seemed that she was more interested in taking care of the elder Stilinski now that he was on the mend.

By the time his last visit rolled around Stiles was feeling good again. He hadn't been able to remember the last time he felt good. Long before Scott getting bit, maybe even before his mother had gotten sick. For the first time in a long time he was thankful just to be healthy and alive. Walking itself held new meaning.

He had friends and a life outside of the supernatural. He was falling even further for Lydia and she was even reciprocating the feelings. He was no longer plagued by a sense of evil lurking at every shadow.

The CT scan revealed a successful alignment and aside from taking it easy he was given the green light to head back to school and back to his life. He knew that there would be other things that would go bump in the night. Other terrors that needed to be handled and problems that needed to be solved. But for the first time in a long time Stiles couldn't say that he minded. He was sure of it. He could handle whatever happened next.

_A/N: So that's it folks. Can't believe this fic is over so soon. I'm not sure I'm ready to let them go. They were fun to write. Are there any story prompts you want to see written? I'm looking for a new idea to write so if you have something let me know. I'm definitely going to stick with Stydia. There isn't enough of that to go around I'm finding. So if you have any good Stydia recommendations let me know. Chasechick on tumblr!_


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